Guiding Force
by lefty31289
Summary: A story following light side Chiss trooper. Rating due to profanities and dark themes later on.
1. Intro

Intro

I paced the conference room of my ship nervously. It'd been an hour since the Jedi healer had left the room, but it felt longer. I was not alone here, one of my brothers was with me; the other had used his ship to distract our pursuers so we could escape. Jarvel, my youngest brother, cast me nervous glances, but was wise enough to keep quiet. Next to him were my comrades in arms, who had become closer than blood to me.

"Fear not Major," 4X stated loudly. "The proud Jedi will be able to heal her, and then we can be off crushing the vile Empire under our banner of truth and justice!"

"Ah, can it already," Tanno Vik muttered. Never one for platitudes, he rarely got along with the droid. Although I usually enjoyed 4X's enthusiasm, today it just served to get on my nerves.

I was about to snap at the both of them, when the healer, Kira I think my brother called her, walked into the room. "How is she," I demanded.

"Physically, she's recovering from the wounds inflicted on her well. Mentally," she trailed off, exhaustion showed in her voice. "It's up to her. I won't force her to remember something when she clearly isn't ready for it. We'd be no better than then the Sith if I did."

"Were you at least able to remove the restraints?"

The look in her eye told me she didn't. "With her unpredictable mood swings and anger… I don't think it's right to take that risk."

"I understand," I said on a sigh as I left the room, defeated. I fought the urge to go to the med bay, that would have only made things worse. Instead I headed upstairs to the pilot controls and sat in my chair to look out into space. I was alone for maybe a minute before Jarvel came up and joined me.

"How are you holding up?"

"Let's see, in the past week I've been caught up in a search that was supposed to lead me to General Rakton, who turned out instead to be a Sith. An apprentice to a member of the Dark Council, I just mention that in passing, who has put my entire team at risk. After escaping from the trap with the help of the Wrath of the Emperor and you, who acted against orders from the Jedi Council, aforementioned Sith captures my wife and rapes and tortures her to the point where she has mentally blocked out any memory of us and must be restrained to prevent any injury to herself. How do you think I'm holding up?"

"It could be worse," he replied sadly. "You could see your big brother devastated yet again by fate's cruel hand, be a Jedi about to go after aforementioned Sith, with or without the Council's permission, and knowing what he's capable of go in there with another Jedi you're in a romantic relationship with and try to keep the fear out of your mind that it can just as easily happen to her."

"Blows no matter how you look at it," I said with a resigned sigh. After a moment for everything to sink in, I asked, "Don't Jedi frown on getting romantically involved with others?"

"Something like that," he answered with a small smile. "But when have any of us played by all the rules?"

"Fair enough," I responded and resumed looking out the view port. "Jarvel?"

"Yeah?"

"What the hell happened to us?"

I had asked the question softly, and at first I didn't think he'd heard me. To be honest I wasn't expecting much of an answer. Jarvel knew a lot, but he didn't know everything. He surprised me when he released a fatigued sigh and said, "I wish I knew, Javen. I really do."

* * *

A/N: I know Kira is DPS not a healer, but for story purposes I made slight change. Please review and tell me what you think!


	2. Ch 1: Havoc Squad

"So how exactly did you manage to get a slot in Havoc," the big man next to me asked. He'd introduced himself and given me his call sign, after he'd stopped staring at me anyway.

Without even bothering to look up from cleaning my weapon, I replied, "Easy, I was the best."

"Fair enough, I just didn't know there were any of your kind in the ranks."

"Advanced Recon/Assault Spec guys? There's a ton of us," I said, still not looking up.

"Sarcastic blue blooded asshole," Gearbox muttered as he made his way to talk to the driver of the Walker. I just shook my head. Since my brothers and I escaped from the Chiss Ascendency years ago I had encountered far more creative insults than that. What most people didn't realize was that we have excellent hearing, so there was very little I missed when those around me thought I couldn't hear. New teammate or not, it was an advantage I wasn't about to give up, especially when something seemed off about him.

I had just finished putting my weapon back together when the Walker was hit. Seconds later we crashed down amid the sound of screaming metal and blaster fire. I jumped out with the other soldiers who were in the transport with me and we set about clearing the area. When I got back Gearbox was already working on the Walker.

"Pilot's dead," he said while digging through his toolbox. "I'll get this guy fixed up and back to HQ. Why don't you scout a head and see if you can find who shot us down. Knowing this backwater lot they should keep all their missiles stored in one place."

"Aye sir," I replied. "I'll report to base once I find something." Before he could respond I quietly slipped away. I was almost out of earshot when I heard him swear and say, "Creepy blue ghost motherfucker." Still not that great but better than 'blue blooded asshole', hopefully the other members of Havoc had better imaginations. I'd hate for 'Blue Guy' to be my call sign

After having successfully taken out the separatists weapons cache, I made my way towards base. When I arrived in the briefing room, my new CO Commander Tavus was going over information with the rest of Havoc Squad. As soon as he saw me he introduced me to the rest of the team. The way Needles looked at me sent chills down my spine, and the vibe I was getting from the others wasn't much better. The only one who didn't set off internal alarm bells was Fuse, and he wouldn't look me in the eye. I was briefed on our mission to recover the lost ZR-57

Then I met Lt. Jorgan. He was a no-nonsense hard ass, but still preferable to my team. He made it clear he was in charge and I had no issue with that, for now. He, however, started to take issue with me when the Op started going FUBAR. Our contact was killed in the field and then I got ambushed when I went to his house to retrieve his intel. I got an earful from Jorgan when I got back, but it wasn't anything I hadn't heard before. I would have actually been disappointed if he hadn't gotten an attitude.

After that I joined various members to try to extract the location of the bomb. After my final mission I came back just to discover that Havoc had left without me and Tavus had left clear orders for me not to follow. Suspicion gnawed at my gut when Jorgan informed me, and only grew when we lost contact with the team.

* * *

"You can't run far or fast enough Tavus," I shouted as the Imperials started shooting.

"It's been an honor serving with you Sergeant," Tavus said before closing hatch and taking off with the now neutralized bomb. 'Backstabbing sons of Hutts…" I thought as I started dodging the Imperial blaster fire. I vowed to get Tavus for this even if it killed him – which was of course the ultimate goal. I wasn't the only one who shared this goal, I found out, as I walked into base just in time for Lt. Jorgan to get blamed for the defection and demoted. Fortunately for him he was able to get a transfer to Havoc Squad, although he obviously ate some crow and having to call me 'Sir'.

"So what makes you think you're up for the task as CO of a squad like Havoc?" Jorgan demanded on the transport from Ord Mantell to Coruscant.

"That's what I like about you Jorgan, you always get straight to the point."

"Thank you sir, but that doesn't answer my question."

"You mean other than my talent and good looks?"

"Those are hardly the qualities of a good leader," he replied annoyed. "My last CO, before I took over the Deadeyes, he was a real leader. Fair but firm, demanded a lot, but gave it back in spades. He was a hard act to live up to."

"Must have been to earn your respect," I said seriously. I got little more than a huff in response, but I wasn't expecting much more. "Truth is Jorgan, this is my first time in command of something like this. Mostly I'll be going of instinct and what I've learned. I'm also gonna be relying heavily on you."

"What makes me think I won't sabotage you?"

"You're not the type. Your brash, but loyal unless betrayed. I was screwed by Havoc too, you'll remember I was the one Tavus ordered to die on that god forsaken rock. I didn't ask for the promotion or for you to be made subordinate to me, and I'm certainly not gonna rub your face in it. But here's the biggest reason why you're not gonna screw me."

"What's that?"

"I'm your best shot to get to Tavus. If I get fired, there's no way they're gonna keep you in Havoc, maybe even discharge you, and you know it."

The Cathar angrily sighed and conceded, "You have a point."

"It's not all bad," I said, "eventually I'm gonna need an XO."

"What, and you'll just give it to me?"

"Hell no," I laughed, "but I'll give you a chance to compete for it against anyone else we recruit."

"You're on," he answered with a smirk. He spent the rest of the trip telling me about his time with the Deadeyes and some of the more famous confirmed kills they had.

Upon landing on Coruscant, we headed straight to the Senate tower to meet with General Garza. When I first met the general, I wasn't all that impressed considering she has almost half my size. Figured I'd push my limits a bit and was impressed when she slapped me back into place without hesitation.

She sent looking for the former CO of Havoc who was working with the Empire to help his old squad mates. While we were tracking him down, I got called back to the Senate tower to deal with an official inquiry about the events of Ord Mantell.

* * *

"You're risking a court martial by lying to us solider," the Cathar senator threatened angrily.

"That'd be quite a feat considering the only who can set that in motion is my superior officer," I replied, board.

"Lieutenant," the female senator said soothingly. The all gave me their names, I just didn't care enough to remember them. "We're not trying to cause any problems, we just want to know what happened on Ord Mantell."

"And I wish I could help you," I lied, "but I've never worked with a Herron Tavus. It's been Jorgan and me ever since I reported there."

"Except he was a Lieutenant then, and you were a sergeant," the Cathar sneered. "What happened you two just decided to swap ranks."

"That's exactly what happened Senator. He got sick of all the paperwork, and I thought why not? Might be nice to be the one saluted for a change."

"So help me, one more sarcastic answer out of you…"

"That's enough, both of you. Lieutenant, this is your last chance: what happened on Ord Mantell?"

"Showed up, shot some separatists, neutralized a bomb, jumped on a shuttle here," I said, ticking off each point on a finger.

"It's clear Gen. Garza is covering something up," the Cathar said angrily.

"You mean like you did with Ando Prime," I asked nonchalantly, watching their reactions. The female at least had the decency to look ashamed.

"You don't know what you're talking about," the Cathar stated.

"I know what it is to be betrayed," I said rising to meet him eye level. He was a big guy, but so was I, and we stared each other down. He blinked first. "Good luck finding the answers you're looking for," I said as I walked away.

"We're not done here," someone shouted lamely.

"Yes we are."

I took the long way back to the general's office to give myself a chance to calm down. I was still going to kill Tavus for betraying and trying to kill me, but I started to sympathize with him for a bit if that's who he was working for.

By the time I got to Garza's office she'd already talked to the senators. "Come in lieutenant," she said when she saw me, "and stand at ease. Officially, I'm to reprimand you for disrespecting and stonewalling members of the Galactic Senate."

"And unofficially?"

I got a smirk in response. "They're going to figure out some of it eventually, but by then we'll have more important things to worry about."

"We already do," I replied.

"True enough," she sighed. "You've wasted enough of your time here. Keep up the search for Karadan."

"Yes ma'am," I said as I snapped to attention before leaving the room.

Jorgan was waiting for me as I exited. "So if you're done playing footsie with the Senators I got a new lead."

"You know, I could nail you for disrespecting a senior officer," I said nonchalantly as I adjusted my weapons.

"Yeah, good luck with that. We headin' out or you wanna go flirt with that cathar senator some more?"

I laughed as I followed Jorgan to the Justicar sector.


	3. Ch 2: Taris

A/N: This is the first chapter with changing points of view. If there's a name above a section in italics, then it is told from their POV

* * *

_Javen_

Jorgan and I had just wrapped up dealing with Karden and rescuing the Senator from Wraith when we were sent to Taris. General Garza told us that the boots on the ground had been ordered to help where ever they could. It became obvious quickly that it wasn't going to be that easy.

"Well, well, Gen. Garza graces us with her finest," the base CO said as soon as he saw me. Judging by the lackeys behind him this was his attempt at a show of force. I wasn't impressed. "I'm Col. Gaffe and these are my senior officers. Your CO sent orders to do whatever is necessary to support your mission. Course she didn't see fit to tell me what that mission is. You care to enlighten me," he demanded condescendingly.

"Sorry sir, I'm not authorized to disclose that information."

"Typical," he whined. "Forget the reconstruction of Taris, I gotta shift everything around and help with some top-secret mission nonsense. Whatever Garza has you looking for, you won't find it on Taris. Nothing unusual has happened since I took command."

"Patrol teams 3, 5, and 8 all lost, all without explanation," interrupted a woman standing behind the Colonel. She looked directly at me as she spoke without paying any heed to her superior officer, even though he was giving her a death glare.

"Sergeant Dorne, I don't recall giving you permission to speak," he chastised her lamely.

"I wasn't speaking to you; I was speaking to Lieutenant Terral per General Garza's instructions. Are you ordering me to violate code 73B and ignore the General's directive, Colonel," she asked with condescension even Col Gaffe couldn't match. Clearly she grew up Imperial. The accent was the tip off, but no one pulls off arrogance quite like the Empire.

"Always got a regulation to quote, don't you Sgt. Dorne," the Colonel said angrily.

"I'll take any information you can give me Sergeant."

"The matter was settled days ago," Col. Gaffe interrupted. He was really starting to get on my nerves. "Taris is dangerous. Causalities are common on patrol teams. It's unfortunate but it happens."

"Your concern for your subordinates is truly touching," Jorgan said.

"Who do you think you are talking to me like that, boy," Col. Gaffe demanded angrily as stepped towards Jorgan.

I stepped in front of the Colonel and glared down at him. "He is a member of my team; as such you will treat him with respect. You will address him as Sergeant, not boy, we clear?" It wasn't often I used my height to intimidate others even though I toward over almost everyone I met. I prefer to outwit opponents; however, Col. Gaffe was getting on my nerves, and going after my people crossed a line.

"Well _Lieutenant_, maybe you should do a better job of controlling you men. I don't know how they do things on Chiss, but in the Republic, sergeants don't talk back to superior officers," he said arrogantly, looking at both Jorgan and Dorne.

"We don't have that problem in the Ascendency," I answered, "because where I come from only competent individuals are put in positions of authority. And just because you're senior to us makes you no way superior." It was clear that it took a minute for the insult to fully set in. "Now if you'd excuse us, Colonel, Sgt. Dorn was just going to brief us."

After the Colonel was out of earshot, I turned to Jorgan and said, "You ever pull something like that again and you're going to be scrubbing the ship's toilet for a week, got it?"

"Roger that, sir," he answered with a smirk.

"My apologies for the interruption," I said, turning back to Sgt. Dorne.

"No apologies are necessary, Lieutenant. It was good to see someone to stand up to the Colonel. This is not the first time he has ignored orders like this. But where are my manners? I'm Elara Dorne, Sergeant 1st Class, Commander of Search and Rescue Squad 204. We have 3 full squads MIA, the situation is critical."

"Do you have any idea what happened to these men?"

"I am afraid not, Lieutenant. Causalities are common on swamp patrols, rakghoul attacks account for the majority, approximately 87%. However SAR sweeps discovered no evidence of rakghoul activity in these instances. Someone else attacked these teams. If you're looking for unusual activity then this is it, Sir."

"I appreciate your help, Sergeant."

"I included the last known coordinates for the MIA patrols in my official incident report, Lieutenant. I will load it into your data pad for review. Taris falls under unexplored/unsecured territory protocols. All armor cams transmit to SAR command. I will contact you with developments.

"Sounds like a plan, Sergeant."

"Good luck, Lieutenant," she said as she walked back to her station.

* * *

_Elara_

After returning to my assigned workstation I overheard Sergeant Jorgan start talking to Lieutenant Terral. "Well that was interesting, I've met drill instructors who were more relaxed then her."

"Well, that's because your DI's weren't raised Imperial," the Lieutenant responded. "It's a cultural thing."

"You would know a little something about that. Her planet must have been liberated in the war."

"No, my guess is she was Imperial military for a while."

"What makes you think that?"

"Call it a gut instinct," he replied, although I could tell from his tone he was bluffing. Perhaps he knew of my past? It was not that unreasonable to assume… Whatever the truth may have been his answer seemed to be enough for Sergeant Jorgan.

"Tell you what, though," he continued as they started heading out, "she probably has one hell of a good story of how she got here."

"Like you have room to talk, blue skin," Sgt. Jorgan replied laughing.

"How many times do I have to tell you that if you're gonna call me by a call sign it should at least be more creative than that?"

I busied myself with paperwork until they reached the first coordinates. They followed the clues to the scavenger base, while I followed them with a SAR team to extract any squad members who might still held there. When I got there, Lieutenant Terral was talking to an ensign from Squad 3. As soon as I came in I started assigning tasks for my team to look after the surviving squad members. I went up to the ensign talking to Lieutenant Terral.

"Report Ensign. Did you learn anything about the enemy?"

After giving a detailed report the Lieutenant, the ensign turned to me, and with a smirk asked, "So, are you excited Dorne? Finally get the chance to correct your old buddy's paperwork again."

Before I could respond, Lieutenant Terral firmly reprimanded the ensign, "This is no time for jokes, Ensign. Especially to the one responsible for finding you before Needles got a hold of you."

"Ah, yes, of course, sorry sir," he stammered.

"I'm not the one you insulted, Ensign," he replied.

"Forget it, you're dismissed Ensign," I interrupted." If you have injuries, make sure they are seen to before we move out."

"Yes sergeant," he said walking away.

"You just take that from those grunts," Sgt. Jorgan asked me once the ensign was out of earshot.

"Nothing I have not already heard. In fact, it has improved greatly since I arrived. They do not disrespect my authority, it is that most outside my team have difficulties trusting me fully," I explained. "Many of the local troops feel that my adherence to regulations is a result of my upbringing, Sergeant. I was born Imperial. However, after 2 years service in the Imperial military, I defected. Given my extensive knowledge and training I was awarded this position and service code 37R."

"How'd you know boss," Sgt. Jorgan asked the Lieutenant. "And don't give me that bull about gut instinct."

"I recognized the name," he answered looking at me. "Even in the Ascendency we've heard of the Dorne's. It's hard to rise to prominence in the Empire without any Siths in your family tree, but your family has managed."

"Wait, she's from some Imperial royalty and you didn't tell me," Sgt. Jorgan demanded.

"I wouldn't call it royalty so much as aristocracy," I replied with a raised eyebrow. Sgt Jorgan ranted, but I saw the smirk Lieutenant Terral gave me in response. It was hard not to return the gesture.

"Anything else you wanna tell me," Sgt. Jorgan asked his superior at last.

"They named the Imperial base on Hoth for her family," the Lieutenant deadpanned.

"It was in honor of my Grandfather, Grand Moff Aleksei Dorne. During the war, he led the attack against the republic above Hoth, assisting in the destruction of many Republic vessels," I replied.

"Of course he did," Sgt. Jorgan muttered as he walked toward the exit.

"Thank you for the assistance, Sergeant," the Lieutenant said, turning to me with a small smile.

"Of course, sir," I replied. "It was my pleasure. I just hope that this will help remove Colonel Gaffe from command once I submit my report."

"I'll be sure Gen. Garza hears about this," he answered. "Before I leave Taris, we should swap stories. Who knows, maybe we know some of the same people."

"Unlikely," I replied. "My family was very strict on who we socialized with, and we were never allowed to talk to nonhumans."

"Clearly you don't share your family's prejudice."

"You coming LT," Sgt. Jorgan shouted from across the room.

"I should get going," he said shaking his head towards his sergeant. "But I hope you take me up on my offer. Us Imperial outcasts need to stick together." He gave a quick wink and headed off to the exit. I couldn't stop the small smile that invaded, but I quickly composed myself before giving orders and heading back to SAR headquarters.

* * *

_Javen_

"If you are looking for Needles, he is long gone," a voice behind me said. Jorgan and I both turned quickly, weapons pointing at the Imperial officer who'd spoken.

"Hands where I can see them, nice and slow," I ordered while Jorgan removed his weapons.

"I would never dream of attacking you. I would be slaughtered rather quickly. Instead I propose a deal. I will tell you everything I know about Needles, and in return you let me go. And before you ask, you are wearing a uniform with a Havoc patch and searching his files, it does not take much to figure out what you are after."

"How do I know I can even believe anything you tell me?"

Suddenly, I heard Sgt. Dorne's voice in my earpiece. "Come in Lieutenant! Do not trust this man! I served with him in the Empire – his name is Thorus."

"Thorus… I know that name," I replied, trying to remember where I'd heard it.

"Who are you talking to," he asked, confused. When I walked over to the holoterminal to display Donre's image, he visibly balked and took a step back. "D-Dorne, is that you?"

"Thorus is a mass murder, a war criminal."

"Go on, Sergeant. I'm listening."

"During my time in Imperial service, he ordered the execution of hundreds of civilian non-combatants and full scale bombings of unarmed populations. He also had an active role on Kessik IV." I felt a muscle in my neck twitch; I knew I recognized that name.

"I am a soldier," he stammered when I turned around. "I do what I must to achieve my objective, just like you."

"I don't kill innocent civilians you Imp scum," I said with barely restrained fury as I leveled my blaster pistol at him.

"Please, I will tell you everything I know," he pleaded. "Needles is doing expirements with the rakghouls. He wants to understand the disease, to turn it into a weapon. He left a few hours ago, said he was going to visit with some 'friends' to get more samples. That is all I know! I have given you what you wanted, now what are you going to do with me?"

I really regretted having Dorne on the holoterminal. Knowing what I did about her, she probably already had a SAR team en-route to take him into custody so he could be tried for war crimes. Dreading the answer, I asked, "What do you think, Dorne?"

"I respectfully suggest you discharge your weapon into Thorus' skull, Lieutenant."

I don't know if I was more relieved or shocked by what she said, but tightening my grip on my pistol I said, "This would be a good time to cut feed, Dorne."

"There seems to be some issue with your signal," she said. "I will be resetting all incoming transmissions from you and Sgt. Jorgan. We can debrief as soon as you return to SAR headquarters. Sgt. Dorne out."

"N-no, this is not fair," he stammered as he backed up.

"What isn't fair is what happened to my cousin you piece of shit," I said before shooting him. Jorgan didn't say anything, just turned around to download the information we needed from the data terminal. Once he finished, I turned to him and told him to move out before he had a chance to say anything.

* * *

"What do you think of Sgt. Dorne," General Garza asked. We were back at base having successfully completed neutralizing Needles. Neither Garza nor Jorgan were happy I'd destroyed his Rakghoul virus, but I didn't regret my decision. I'd seen what the Empire had done with technology like that, and I wasn't naïve enough to believe that Republic scientists were only going to use it to research a cure.

"I think she's a good solider, and Col. Gaffe doesn't deserve her. She helped me when no one else would."

"Col. Gaffe won't be on Taris much longer," Garza replied. "I appreciate your report. I'd heard similar complaints, but it was hard to take them seriously since most of them seemed to be coming from disgruntled subordinates. Someone far more capable will be assuming his command. However, that doesn't concern you. She's had an impressive career, earning more comendations in 2 years than most do in 10."

"Good looks like Dorne's usually don't come with the uniform," I said with a smile. I could see Jorgan smirking next to me.

"As professional as ever, I see," Garza said with an exasperated sigh. "Please endeavor to stay focused on relevant details. I want her in Havoc. Her service record is unmatched and her service to you in Taris is beyond commendable."

"Sgt. Dorne would make an excellent addition," I said.

"Excellent. Contact me when you arrive at Nar Shaddaa, Garza out." We headed over to Sgt. Dorne, who was busy with paperwork from the rescue of the patrol teams.

"Yes, Lieutenant," she asked, looking up. "Is there something I can do for you?"

"Consider this your official invitation into Havoc Squad Sgt. Dorne."

"Lieutenant… This, this is the greatest honor of my career… I'm speechless…"

"Membership in Havoc Squad this highest achievement in all the Republic Armed Forces," Jorgan said, free of his usual terseness. "Congratulations Sergeant."

"Thank you," Sgt. Dorne said excitedly. "I'll prepare my Regulation 6 transfer paperwork at once."

"Roger that, Sergeant," I said with a smile. "Congratulations, you've more than earned this. Head on up to the ship when you've finished up. I'll let the port authority know you have clearance to enter the launch bay."


	4. Ch 3: Cantina Confessions part 1

A/N: I had to cut this chapter short because it started getting way to big. The next chapter is written, it just needs to be polished up a bit. Enjoy!

* * *

_Javen_

"How are you settling in, Dorne," I asked. I had gone in to the med bay to see how she was doing on the way to Nar Shaddaa.

"Sir, my equipment and personal effects have been stored full accordance with transport code section two. If I may say so again, sir, it is an honor to be selected for Havoc Squad."

"I'm glad to have you on the team. First chance we get for a break, I'll take the team out for a drink as sort of a welcome party."

"Thank you sir, although that is not necessary. I intend to begin immediately reviewing and memorizing all relevant dossiers and intelligence reports on our assignments immediately. If I discover any points of confusion or where I believe I can contribute, I will submit a full 587-B report."

"Carry on," I said.

"Hey LT," Jorgan said, sticking his head in the med bay. "We just landed on Nar Shaddaa and Garza's on the line."

* * *

_Elara_

I saw Lieutenant Terral and Sergeant Jorgan sitting at a cantina table waiting for the SIS agent to debrief us regarding our encounter with 4X. I quickly caught a waitress's attention before going to join them.

"Where did you get off to Dorne," Sgt. Jorgan asked as soon as he saw me approaching.

"Reviewing a section of the Code of Conduct regulations."

"Of course you were," he snickered.

"What were you looking up," the lieutenant asked.

"Chapter 631, Subsection 2.5A."

"Conduct concerning liberty and off duty personnel," Lt. Terral responded.

"And how do you know that off the top of your head," Sgt. Jorgan asked. I had to admit I was a little curious as well.

"Chiss may not officially be Imperial," he answered with a smirk, "but knowing regulations is one of those things that get us hot and bothered."

"Explains why your copy of the regs is sitting next to a box of tissues," Sgt Jorgan replied.

I continued as Lt. Terral barked out a laugh, "According to paragraph 3 of that section, off duty personnel, with permission from the unit's commanding officer may consume beverages of an alcoholic nature. The regulation states personnel may only consume 3 drinks or not consume beverages in excess to cause blood alcohol level to surpass the limit set forth in paragraph 1 of Subsection 2.5A to account for the different metabolisms of different species."

"So what you're saying is I can drink," Sgt Jorgan stated, looking around for a waitress.

"Only if the Lieutenant grants permission," I corrected.

"At this point I think trying to stop him would be hazardous to my health," he sighed.

"Damn right," Sgt Jorgan replied shortly before demanding, "Where the hell are all the waitresses in this bar?"

"I hope you won't assume I'm being presumptuous, but I took the liberty of ordering the first round." I was afraid Sgt. Jorgan would suffer from whiplash with how quickly he turned to stare at me.

"Did you just admit to acting without permission," he asked dumbfounded.

"Certainly not," I assured him. "I simply analyzed the situation and planned according to what I perceived as the most likely outcome."

As soon as I had finished talking the twilik I had given the order to appeared with the drinks.

"What made you take the first round," Lt. Terral asked. "I seem to recall insinuating it was mine."

"I hope you will forgive me, Lieutenant. It is just at my first command it was tradition for the new members to get the first round."

"Damn Imperials," he replied. "Not only are they the scourge of the galaxy, they make their new recruits go broke paying for their booze."

I was about to protest when I saw his smile and realized he was teasing. Instead I asked, "Did you have any traditions like that in the Ascendancy?"

"Yes, but it was always the highest ranking officer present who got first round since he's the one with all the credits. So since Dorne disobeyed a direct order, I'll just have to take the next one," he said with a wink.

"I'll admit, I was a little worried when you said you were ordering, Dorne," Sgt. Jorgan admitted, taking a drink. "Was afraid you'd just order some water downed swill. Glad to see you got an eye for booze."

"Thank you Sergeant."

After a few minutes of companionable silence, Sgt. Jorgan broke it by asking me the question I feared answering. "So, Dorne, how does a proud member of the Drumond Kaas aristocracy find herself slumming it with some Republic grunts?"

"It is a rather long story," I stammered and quickly took a drink.

"And judging by the look on her face she isn't nearly drunk enough to tell it," Lt Terral interceded.

"Well what about you, boss? How did you get here after growing up in the Empire?"

"The Chiss Ascendancy is not a member of the Empire," the Lieutenant corrected. "We're the Empire's only allies."

"Why would the Empire be allies with you? Don't they look down on aliens?"

"They have something the Empire wants," I answered without thinking, "and they are too afraid to fight them."

"The Empire fears the Chiss," Sgt. Jorgan asked incredulously. I noticed Lieutenant Terral was also giving me a curious look.

"My father is a powerful Moff in the Imperial Military. I overheard him talking to one of his advisors once. The advisor wanted to go to war with the Ascendancy for some imagined wrong, but my father was adamant. When the advisor pushed harder, my father went completely out of character and yelled he would never face the Chiss in battle. That is the only time I've ever seen my father that angry or afraid."

"I guess I shouldn't be surprised," the Lieutenant said, breaking the growing silence. "I always knew there was a reason they made an alliance instead of going to war. I wonder what it is they want…"

"Father never said. In fact, anytime the Chiss came up, he would immediately change the subject."

"All fascinating, now quit delaying boss," Sgt. Jorgan said. "What's your story?"

"Such a charmer, for a plebeian," he said to me with a mischievous smile. "Sgt. Dorne isn't the only one to come from aristocracy," he started to say before the Sergeant interrupted.

"You too," he demanded.

The lieutenant shrugged before continuing. "My house was one of the founding members of the Ascendancy, and the oldest of all the founding families. My brother, Javus, was the heir to the house, and he was welcomed to that stress. I tried to enlist in the Army, and when my father found out he was furious."

"Didn't want his little boy getting hurt," Sgt. Jorgan mocked.

"No, he didn't want me enlisting. 'No member of this house will concede to such a lowly position,'" he said, adopting a lower tone as he imitated his father. "'We lead, never follow.' When I asked how one can learn to lead if they never learn to obey, I was backhanded. It didn't help that I intentionally pushed his buttons in front of 3 Moffs and a Sith Lord. So I was sent to officer school and spent 3 years serving the Ascendancy. My father tried to keep me behind a desk, but I was quickly promoted to command of my own advanced recon team."

"You told me you'd never commanded before."

"A squad like Havoc. I never said anything about not being in command."

"Why didn't you tell me?"

"And miss that look on your face," he laughed, signaling the waitress for another round.

"So what made you decide to leave," Sgt. Jorgan continued to press.

Lieutenant Terral stared at his glass for a minute before continuing. "Right after my 24th birthday all hell broke loose. I was on leave at the family's estate with my two brothers when we got news of Kessik IV."

"That's the second time that's been mentioned. What happened there," Sgt. Jorgan asked.

"A massacre," I answered, trying to keep the emotions from showing. I still had nightmares from that day. When I saw the looks I was getting, I quickly covered, "It's one of the reasons I defected."

The answer was enough for now. Lieutenant Terral nodded and said, "My cousin was stationed there when it happened. We never heard the details of the attack, just that the Empire blamed the Cathar settlers and there was no body to ship home." Guilt gnawed at my stomach as he took a drink to fortify himself. "My cousin was like a brother to us, we were all close. My leave was extended for bereavement. Most nights I couldn't sleep, I wasn't eating... One night insomnia hit and I started walking around the estate. I passed by my father's study when I heard him talking to the Sith Lord that seemed to have taken up a permanent residence there. I was going to walk away when I heard my father mention an attack planned on another house. From the way the Sith was talking, no one was to be left alive. The house my father was going to attack belonged to my betrothed."

"You were engaged," Sgt. Jorgan repeated.

"Arraigned marriage," he clarified, "although I was good friends with Nee'ran. As soon as I heard 'no survivors' I ran to my brothers' rooms to tell them what I'd heard. I was prepared to go alone to save whomever I could, since acting against the family would guarantee exile. I went to my equipment and grabbed my blaster rifle. As I reached for my pistol, my youngest brother, Jarvel, grabbed it instead. I turned around to see Javus behind him placing his duel pistols into the holsters on his belt. Before I could say anything, he asked, 'What, you think you're getting all the fun?'

"By the time we got there, the only one left alive was Nee'ran, and they'd captured her and set her in front of a firing squad. I pushed my way to the front of the group, demanding the right to take the traitor's life. I still remember the anger in her eyes. Without warning I turned around and unloaded on the men while my brothers did the same from behind. When the last man fell I used my field knife to free Nee'ran from her binds."

"What happened," Sgt. Jorgan asked when he paused.

"She hit me. Then she pulled a blaster pistol on me. If the Jedi master hadn't shown up when he did she probably would have killed me."

"Jedi?"

"He was tracking the Sith Lord at my estate. When he saw us head out he decided to follow; apparently my younger brother was strong in the force. Anyway, he was able to convince Nee'ran to not shoot me. She lowered the weapon just to pistol whip me before taking off. I never heard what happened to her," he said sadly. "After that, Jarvel convinced the Jedi to help us escape the Ascendancy and he would agree to study the Jedi teachings. The Jedi kept his word, and after we commandeered a ship he helped us escape to Republic space and helped me enlist in the Republic Army."

"Whatever happened to Javus," I asked.

"The Jedi offered to get him in the military too, but he declined. Last I heard he was chasing Nok Drayen's lost fortune. When he's not transporting questionably legal cargo, that is."

"A Jedi, a trooper, and a smuggler," Sgt. Jorgan laughed. "Sounds like the opening to a bad joke."

While Lt. Terral laughed, I took a large gulp of my drink to help bolster up my courage. After the story the lieutenant told, there was no way I could keep silent. I just hoped at that when I had finished he would be able to forgive me.


	5. Ch 4 Cantina Confessions part 2

While Lt. Terral laughed, I took a large gulp of my drink to help bolster up my courage. After the story the lieutenant told, there was no way I could keep silent. I just hoped at that when I had finished he would be able to forgive me.

"Growing up in my family we were raised with the ideals of honor and duty impressed on us at an early age," I explained. "Hearing tales of my family's valor going back since the founding of the Empire... well, I could hardly wait until I was old enough to carry on that legacy. Mother, however, had plans for me to serve as being a lady of the Empire, a house wife for some high ranking bureaucrat."

"How did you manage to dodge that fate," Sgt. Jorgan asked.

"It was all thanks to a rather charming diplomat named Vector Hyliss and a Chiss delegation," I answered, part of me enjoying the raise eyebrow I received from the lieutenant.

"This I gotta hear," Sgt. Jorgan replied as the waitress dropped off refills.

"When I was 18, Mother dragged me to some party at the diplomat headquarters. As soon as we got there she did what she always did and looked for a suitable match for me. I was right about to make my escape for the library when she cornered Ambassador Hyliss. Midway through their conversation he asked if he could have the pleasure of introducing me to his colleagues. I had never seen Mother push me away so fast," I said ruefully. "As soon as we were out of ear shot, he mentioned it was regrettable his fiancé could not attend and asked if I had any questions about any of the delegations present. Truth be told I had always been fascinated by other species, I never could understand the hatred most Imperial citizens had for them. Out of all the species I had read about I was always the most curious about the Chiss, and after overhearing Father's outburst... well, suffice it to say I was intrigued. When I mentioned that to Ambassador Hyliss, he laughed and walked me over to their delegation and introduced me to their head diplomat. Apparently she and Vector were old friends."

"Vector? This is the first time I've ever heard you refer to anyone by their first name."

"He insisted I call him that," I said, smiling at the memory. "He had a way of relaxing people and charming them, most likely that is why he is one of their top diplomats. Anyway, Ambassador Ta'Hara was very kind and answered all of my questions, she even had some for me. As soon as she heard my family name the conversation shifted and by the end of the night I was offered a position as an official Empire liaison to the Ascendancy military.

"When I went home that night I was still dreaming of all the possibilities, how this could be my mark on our proud legacy when Father came storming in. He told me that I would be getting my wish and leaving the next week with my twin brother to join the Imperial military. Apparently he had heard about the offer by the Chiss delegation and was furious. Mother would not look me in the eye. The following week Aleksei and I both swore an oath of service to the Empire and were sent off. I still remember the day we both completed our specializations. Due to my family's stature they held our ceremonies on the same day. My whole family was there, it was one of the proudest days of my life. Then I was sent to my first command."

"What was it," Lt. Terral prodded when I trailed off, lost in the memories.

"Kessik IV," I was barely able to answer around the lump in my throat. Even after all these years, the pain was fresh. I could not look up from my drink as I continued, could not look either of them in the eye. "When I got there I was assigned to a search and rescue division, but when we were not on patrols we were assigned shifts at the hospital. There was a lot of tension between the Imperial and Cathar settlers, mostly due to the Imperial soldiers. A Chiss division arrived to act as a liaison to the Cathar. One day, my lunch relief was late, so late I almost considered not going."

"Why wouldn't you go," Sgt. Jorgan asked, clearly not understanding.

"Even though they were allies, it was made clear to the Chiss that command considered them just as low as the Cathar, including making them eat after all Imperial soldiers were served. I was too hungry to skip another meal, so I took my chances and went down to the galley. I got some raised eyebrows from the Chiss in line when I did not go to the front, but instead stayed at the end of the line. My hopes that those would be the only reactions were dashed when one of the men in line started to heckle me. When I ignored it, hoping to avoid escalating things, he tried to cause a physical altercation."

"What a shit head," Sgt. Jorgan muttered. I risked a glance at the lieutenant, but his face was unreadable.

"They were justifiably frustrated. This was the first interaction most of them had with Imperial citizens, and they were treated horribly. Had their Captain not intervened, their lot would have gotten much worse."

"What was his name," the lieutenant asked, leaning forward.

"Captain Harkon Donhal."

"That's my cousin," he quickly said. "Do you know what happened to him?"

Guilt had my eyes slamming shut. I nodded while my thoughts were flying. Of course that would be his cousin. "After rebuking his subordinate, he apologized for him and then thanked me for showing his people some respect. When I told him I had not done anything out of the ordinary, he laughed and walked away. That was 2 years before the massacre."

"What caused it," Lt. Terral demanded.

"Me," I choked. The stab of guilt cut through me as I tried to remain focused. "A week after the incident at the galley, I was on shift in the ER when a female Chiss solider brought in a 16 year old Cathar girl. She had been attacked and observing how nervous she was around the Imperial soldiers, it was easy to conclude who had perpetrated it.

"I treated her for injuries sustained in the attack, as well an older injury that had the faint outline of the stock of an Imperial issued rifle. I asked if she had any intention of pressing charges, and she quickly shook her head no as the Chiss escorting her unsnapped her holster and glared at me. I stepped away for a moment to retrieve her discharge papers, angry at the soldier disgracing our unit. I was heading back when an idea struck me, and I instead changed course and grabbed an empty stim case and filled it with a synthesized pathogen from the lab.

"I returned to the girl, handed her the discharge paperwork and told her I hoped she would change her mind about pressing charges. She jumped off the exam bed and almost escaped before I could grab her arm and hand her the now full stim case. She asked me what it was, and I explained the next time she was attacked to inject the soldier with that. The pathogen inside mimicked the symptoms of a highly contagious virus that had just decimated the colony. I also made sure to tell her any soldier displaying symptoms was required to inform the officer in charge exactly what they were doing prior to symptoms setting in to trace the path of the disease. Noncompliance was a sign of terrorism according to command."

"And what happened to the girl when the soldier turned around and pointed the finger at her," Sgt. Jorgan asked.

"They did not believe him," I answered. "She had been smart enough to destroy the stim after injecting him. He was charged with malingering, and after a court martial was sent to Hoth.

"A month later, once again on shift in the ER, the girl came back, this time with another girl and Capt. Donhal. Turns out, the female Chiss was part of his senior staff and I had impressed her."

"That would be LTJG Hothner. That you impressed her speaks volumes," Lt. Terral stated.

"Thank you, Sir," I said meekly before continuing. "I examined the girl who had come in and it became quickly apparent she had been raped, and judging by how she was clinging to Kitna, the girl I had treated before, it did not take an expert to know it was an Imperial who did it."

"Beatings, rape, it's a wonder we have to work so hard to liberate planets from the Empire," Sgt. Jorgan inserted.

"To be honest," I said, "I've often wondered that myself. I suppose it is because most of them have never known better," I answered before continuing. "After examining her and doing all I could for her wounds, I asked them to follow me. Capt. Donhal was highly suspicious, but followed me all the same. I took them to a large storage bay, with rows of shelving filled with cases that were 12" x 12" x 6" and the only makings on any of them was a random series of numbers. I asked her to take a good look around the room, and when she had I knelt in front of her. I told her that if she consented to a rape kit but refused to press any kind of charges it would be stored here, one case among thousands and no one but whomever she wanted to would ever know about it. She looked torn, and I asked if she was this man's first victim. It took her a while to shake her head no. I told her she did not have to be the first one to come forward, I understood that was asking too much. I told her if she let me preform the rape kit and someone did come forward in the next 5 years and she consented the evidence of the kit could be used against him in Imperial court, even without her testimony. She was quiet for a long minute before she finally consented, but only if Kitna would be with her. After I was finished, I took them all with me back into the room to watch me log and store the kit.

Capt. Donhal nodded at me and led them out. A few hours later on chow break, he came up without warning and sat at my table where I had been waiting for... someone." I was not ready to tell that part of the story, I hoped they understood. "He promised he would be quick, he just had a few questions to ask. Before I could comment he insinuated Imperials were not exactly fair in the treatment of other species and questioned my motivations."

"I bet he asked you just like that," Lt. Terral inserted with a laugh.

"He did not ask quite so formally and with more than a few profanities," I conceded. "I told him the truth, that I swore an oath not just as an Imperial solider, but as a medic. My job is to save lives, not destroy them. After that, he came in regularly with a new victim. Although the injuries were always different, the common denominator was that they were all helpless aliens being taken advantage of by men dishonoring the Imperial military.

"Eventually they started to open up to me about what happened, and I would give what advice I could, and soon the Cathar settlers started to feel empowered. They had learned enough of the intricacies of the Imperial Regulations to actually take a stand against some of the abuses. Soon, they were not even frightened by the soldiers. Rumors started flying about how it was my fault the Cathar were behaving this way, and I was suffering reprisals for it. Not officially, of course, but it was the small things. Unfounded reprimands, being ostracized from my peer group, even by..." I stopped quickly and took another large drink. They will find out sooner or later, I suppose. "Even by my fiancé."

"You were engaged, too," the sergeant demanded.

"I... I do not want to talk about him right now," I stated firmly. The knot in my throat was getting harder to talk around.

"You don't have to talk about anything you don't want to," the lieutenant said softly.

"Thank you, sir, but you deserve to know what happened to your cousin. Somehow this reached the ears of the Dark Council, because one day one of their apprentices showed up. The day Lord Baras arrived with his Mandalorians I had been scheduled to go on patrol with members of the Chiss forces. It was cancelled on Lord Baras' orders since he said he needed all of the Chiss for some project. Instead I was placed on standby. While in the middle of lunch, an Ensign came running in yelling for all hands on deck, anyone not assigned specifically to the ER would be given a med pack and sent out." I may have said those words, but it was the ensign I heard as the memory overtook me. He shouted the message over and over, his fear causing his voice to crack. I shook my head slightly to clear away the memory.

"I grabbed a med pack from one of the carts that had been wheeled in behind the ensign and ran out. As I stepped outside I was thrown to the ground from some explosion. I looked up only to see the Cathar settlement under attack. I quickly stood and ran towards the front line. When I got there, it was chaos, no one knew what was going on, and everyone seemed to be attacking each other. Not hearing anyone dictating orders, I ran out to try and save the nearest civilian. It was a little boy…" My throat closed up and I had to take a drink to try and clear it out. "Suffice it to say, it was brutal. We tried to get to as many as we could, but most were gone before we could get to them.

"After calling T.O.D. on a Cathar civilian, one of my coworkers pulled me aside. She pointed towards a collapsed building and simply said it was a courtesy. I rushed over there... It was Captain Donhal." I closed my eyes and futilely tried to keep the memories away. "He was barely recognizable, burns covering 75% of his body, blood everywhere, his eyes... they were caked in blood. As soon as he heard me as start talking, he grabbed my arm, told me to let him die, I had to save the solider he pulled out of the building. I looked up at the other medic attending him who silently shook her head and pointed to the ground next to him where a body was laying under a sheet. I promised I would do everything I could for his men. His last words were, 'You damn well better.' A minute later at 1428 he was gone. There was nothing I could have done. He wouldn't even take any pain killers," I said, tears running at the memory.

"Why give it to him when you could give it to someone with a chance of living," Lt. Terral said sadly. "Stubborn to the end."

"A hero to the end," I quietly corrected. "The battle had stopped, making it easier to treat the wounded. The group I was working with was ordered to take a break to shower and rest. I barely got to the edge of the settlement before I collapsed against a wall unable to move. I landed next to a Mandolorian with an injured leg. He looked me over and said I looked like a warrior after a day of battle. I tiredly replied I was only a medic, and he laughed and sagely replied that we were some of the toughest warriors with the hardest battles and I had his respect. I asked what he knew of what happened and he told his story.

"Lord Baras had assembled the Chiss and Mandalorians outside the Cathar settlement as well as two Imperial infantry divisions under the command of Col. Thorus. He ordered Capt. Donhal to attack the unarmed Cathar, but he refused. The Mandalorians sided with the Chiss saying there would be no glory in such a battle. When they refused the Dark Lord's order again, he ordered the infantry with an attached mortar division to begin attack the village. Most of the Chiss under Captain Donhal's orders grabbed as many settlers as they could to take them towards the republic base. He ordered them not to return, but all of them did. Despite their courage, they never stood a chance."

"All those innocents butchered, just for standing up for themselves," Sgt. Jorgan asked. Despite everything he had seen as a soldier fighting the Empire, it was clear even he was disturbed by cruelty on this scale.

"Welcome to the Empire," I said sadly. "I had just found the strength to stand when I saw Col. Thorus leading his men and killing any survivors who were not Imperial soldiers. I rushed over to him as quickly as I could and demanded he stop at once. According to regulations, any survivors were officially considered prisoners of war and were to be tried in Imperial court. I did not see that Lord Baras was standing right behind him until after I had finished speaking. Standing next to him was Col. Presley, an officer whom I greatly admired. He had served with Father and always stressed duty, honor, and sacrifice to whomever he served with.

"Lord Baras ordered the Colonel and his men to execute all the survivors, many of whom I'd just saved. I threw myself on the ground and begged him to spare them. He laughed, and told Col. Pressley to continue. I watched in horror as a man I respected did not even flinch as he murdered unarmed soldiers and innocent civilians. The Imperial military was supposed to stand for honor, but that ideal gets thrown aside anytime a Sith demands it. The next patrol I was put on I slipped away at the first opportunity. I surrendered myself to the first Republic patrol I came across and announced my intention to defect."

I was seriously contemplating ordering another drink, but assumed the alcohol had done enough. I was holding my glass in front of me staring at it as my vision blurred again with silent tears when I saw a dark blue hand reach out to cover one of mine.

"None of that was your fault Dorne," Lt. Terral stated quietly but firmly. I started to protested, but he quickly interrupted me. "Did you hear what I just told you? Trying to save the Cathar from being abused, trying to save my people from wounds inflicted by honorless murders, that shows your strength of character. My cousin saw that in you, it's why he turned to you for help. Don't disgrace his memory by listening to a Sith."

I sat in silence, but I acknowledge his words with a nod.

"There's Belkens," Sgt. Jorgan said. "Dorne, why don't you head to the ship and make sure we're ready for launch?"

"With the lieutenant's permission I'll head out and ensure the ship is properly prepared per regulation 452, Subsection 4," I said as I stood, my voice still not as strong as I would like.

"Go on," he said. "We can talk again whenever you feel comfortable."

"Thank you sir," I said as I stood up and headed out.


	6. Ch 5: Captain Kalor

After getting back to the ship, I sat down in my quarters to compose a letter to my brothers. Now that I knew what really happened to our cousin Harkon I had to tell Javus and Jarvel. After sending it out, I leaned back in my chair and thought over everything Dorne had told me. In the middle of my reverie Jorgan let himself in, dug around my nightstand for the flask I kept in there, and pulled up a chair next to mine. He put his feet on my desk and leaned back before taking a swig and handing the flask to me.

"So… it's been one hell of a day," he sighed as I took my own drink.

"Understatement," I said with a small laugh.

"What do you make of what Dorne told us?"

"There's no way she was lying," I said. "Her emotions were too close to the surface for her to have made it up."

"And we know how those Imperials hate to show emotion," Jorgan said as he took the flask back. "Before today, the only time I had really seen any out of Dorne was when you invited her to Havoc."

"She has them, you just need to know what to look for."

"Sounds like someone's been watching the new sergeant rather closely," Jorgan said, elbowing me in the ribs.

"No, just 20+ years dealing with Imperials," I deflected.

"You may be able to fool others, but I can always tell when you're full of shit," he replied with a laugh.

"Eh, can you blame me? She's a looker."

"Yeah, but that ain't it," he said, pressing the issue. "If looks were all it took, you would have jumped in the sack when Jaxo all but stripped in front of you."

"If you were like this with all your officers, it's no wonder you got thrown on Ord Mantell," I sighed.

"Yeah, yeah, nothing I haven't heard before. Now stop dodging the question," he said passing back the flask.

"So her looks aren't all of it," I conceded. "What can I say? I'm a sucker for a brain and a heart. Throw her looks into the mix…"

"So what you're saying is you're a lost cause."

"Pretty much," I sighed. I took a long drink and passed back the flask. "And I'm not the only one. My cousin had a thing for her too. He never mentioned her name, since he knew that the Imps were reading his messages. Harkon just said it was a female Imperial who 'showed an unprecedented combination of courage and compassion.'"

"That's how he described her," Jorgan demanded. "Seriously?"

"Well, that and she had a nice rack," I laughed, "but that doesn't leave this room."

"Hey, everyone knows what's said between two soldiers and a flask is sacrosanct," he said, using the flask to toast the air. "The booze will tell her before me."

"Fair enough," I replied, taking the flask from him. "He was right about her, though."

Jorgan snickered and asked, "Which part?"

"Didn't know I had to pick just one," I laughed back. I sobered up as I said, "But seriously, I don't think I've ever met anyone quite like her."

"Yeah, most Spec Ops girls are either sluts or way too masculine," Jorgan agreed. "They don't make many like her. Too bad you're her CO and she seems to worship the almighty rule book."

"Ain't it a bitch," I sighed before taking a final swig and kicking Jorgan out of my room so I could get some sleep.

* * *

A few days after Nar Shaddaa, Sgt. Dorne came up to me on the bridge and asked if I had a moment to spare.

"For you, Dorne, always," I said with a smile as I followed her off. It was clear she was still uneasy for admitting her part in Kessik IV, so I was doing everything I could to put her at ease.

"Thank you sir," she said as she headed towards the holoterminal. "As a condition of my service in the Republic Military, Personnel Division requires that I report regularly on my activities. However, all Havoc Squad missions are classified and cannot be shared with Personnel Division. I'd like to ask for you to vouch for me when I report in."

"I'll be happy to help. I was lucky, with the strings the Jedi Master pulled, I was able to avoid that mess. The least I can do is help you with this."

"Thank you very much sir. We should use the ship's secure line." She activated the terminal, and after a few minutes, an officer came into view. "Captain Kalor," she identified the man, "This is Elara Dorne, personnel number 22-795, reporting in per regulation 449."

"Please, Elara, you don't have to give me the full rundown every time." Immediately I didn't like the guy, although I couldn't put my finger on why. 'It probably has something to do with the fact that he's comfortable enough with her to call her by her first name,' a voice in the back of my head whispered. The voice sounded suspiciously like my older brother who liked to bust my chops every chance he got. More likely it was because the worm reminded me of my father, and we weren't exactly on the best of terms. 'Keep deluding yourself buddy,' the voice said again. I made a mental note to punch Javus in the face next time I saw him for getting in my head. Not that I'd ever admit it, he'd just laugh at me, and then I'd get arrested for killing him.

I was so engrossed in my inner dialect, I almost missed that the conversation had turned to me. "This is my new CO, Lieutenant Javen Terral."

"Pleasure, Captain," I said formally. Something about him made me want to mouth off to him, but since that would probably end up hurting Dorne, I kept it to myself.

"The pleasure's all mine," he replied. "It's a real honor to meet you. So tell me about being in the top squad, Elara."

"I'm sorry Captain, but you are not authorized to know about Havoc Squad's activities. Lt. Terral will have to vouch for me from now on." Call me petty, but I really enjoyed the look on Kalor's face when she said that.

"Look, Elara, I don't want to be a hard case, but rules are rules. You of all people know that. This 'top secret' junk won't fly."

"All Havoc Squad activities are highly classified. I apologize for any inconvenience," I answered.

"Inconvenience my a-"

"If you have any questions," I interrupted, still keeping my voice calm, "I'm sure General Garza would be happy to answer them for you. She can usually be reached in her office in the Senate Tower." I ended the transmission, and looked over to see how Elara was doing.

"I wasn't expecting him to act this strongly. Surely he did not expect me to report on classified information?"

"You did the right thing," I assured her. "Releasing classified information with no regard to the consequences is the quickest way to get soldiers killed."

"I'm surprised the Captain had a different point of view. If you excuse me sir, I have some matters I must attend to, thank you for your time," she said before abruptly leaving.

Once she had returned to the med bay, Jorgan walked up to me, and it had been obvious he'd heard the exchange. "So, her service in the army is based on that jackass's opinion?"

"Only reason I was polite."

"I figured that had to be it," he said, smirking. "You weren't half as professional to the Senators investigating Ord Mantell. Honestly, I didn't think you could pull that off."

"Hey, I can be downright charming, if the occasion calls for it," I said with a wink. "I just didn't think you'd be that interested in me."

"Asshole," he said walking away, laughing.

Before hitting the rack that night, I was sitting at my desk going over reports in my quarters when I heard someone clear their throat outside my door. "What can I do for you, Dorne," I asked without looking up. I quickly signed off on the last report before throwing the pad back on the mountain of them that had started growing and gave her my full attention. I swear, those pads were doing obscene things when I wasn't looking cause every time I walked by my desk there seemed to be more of them.

"How did you know it was me, sir?"

"Because Jorgan doesn't bother asking for permission anymore," I explained. "He usually barges in, grabs my flask, and takes a swig before passing it off and telling me all the things I'm doing wrong leading the squad. It's kind of a weekly routine with him."

"You allow him to just come in," she asked incredulously.

"He does the maintenance on my rifle and it's never shot better, so it seems like a fair deal. However, I don't think you stopped by to discuss Sgt. Jorgan's late night habits."

"No sir," she said, sounding more formal. "I just wanted to apologize. After we spoke to Captain Kalor, I was unnecessarily curt with you." She seemed surprised when I started laughing.

"If that was you being curt," I explained, "then you just nailed almost every stereotype we had of Imperials growing up."

She offered a small smile, and said, "All the same, it was uncalled for and I am sorry. You have been very supportive, and that has not always been the case with republic personnel I've encountered since defecting."

"Tell me about," I said with a sigh. "You know I'm around if you ever need to talk about it."

"Thank you sir," she replied, "but I must be going. I have to do inventory, and I do not want to take up too much of your evening."

"Good night, Elara," I said, trying out her first name.

She hesitated a minute, a little thrown off by the lack of formality, before bowing slightly and saying, "Good night."

I smiled as she left. I knew she couldn't call me by my first name, her Imperial upbringing wouldn't allow it. However, she didn't call me by any title. All in all, I considered it a win.


	7. Ch 6: Shore Leave and a New Threat

A/N: Sorry, this has taken so long to update, got hit with nasty writer's block. I know where I want it to go, just not how to get there. Hopefully it clears up! Also, I want to thank Andrigno and Shifty830 for their reviews. It's always nice to know how much people enjoy your story or if they have any suggestions (hint hint lol)

* * *

_Javen_

"I've booked three rooms for us in the Star Cluster Casino. They're all located next to each other on the 6th floor," Dorne announced as we disembarked at the spaceport on Nar Shaddaa.

"I vote we drop our stuff off at our rooms and meet down at the bar," Jorgan volunteered in his usual brash manner.

"That is an acceptable offer," Dorne seconded.

"Well who am I to argue when the two of you actually agree on something," I replied with a smile.

We headed to the hotel and went up to our respective rooms to change. 20 minutes later I was outside Dorne's room. She opened her door and gave me a curious glance when she saw I was alone. "Jorgan went ahead," I explained. An amused smile graced her features as she turned around and locked her door before walking with me to the elevator.

"Lieutenant," she started before I stopped her.

"We're on leave for the next two weeks, and I don't know about you, but I'd prefer to drop any reminders of work. Please, call me Javen," I said as I held the elevator door open for her.

"I-I don't know if I can," she admitted honestly.

"I refuse to answer to any rank," I replied, "so you'll have to figure something out."

"In that case… I will see what I can do," she said reluctantly.

"That's the spirit. But in the mean time I'd advise against calling me sir." The look she was giving me a look that proved she didn't understand, and I should have left it at that, but I couldn't help myself. "I'm a big guy and you're a beautiful woman, you walking around in civvies calling me 'sir' could give people the wrong idea."

She raised an eyebrow at me and I started thinking maybe I'd crossed a line. As the doors of the elevator opened on the main floor, she started to walk past me, but she suddenly stopped next to me and said, "You are absolutely correct, we would not want a closet S&M big shot looking for a release making an offer to buy you so you can... punish... him. Knowing Jorgan, he would probably accept."

I stood watching her walk away, mouth open, unable to comprehend she'd actually just said that.

She turned around after she'd gone a few steps. With that eyebrow raised again, she asked, "Are you coming, Javen?" She waited a beat before resuming her path for the bar.

'Well son of a bitch,' was the only thought I could string together. I laughed and jogged to catch up.

When I got to her she was already seated at a high top table a little away from the main bar. "Where's Jorgan," I asked as I took a seat.

"At the bar, hitting on some dancer."

I looked over to where she'd indicated and saw Jorgan leaning on the bar angled towards a twilik girl. "She's pretty, doesn't necessarily mean she's a dancer."

"See that mark on her left shoulder," Dorne replied, after finally catching the eye of a waitress. After she'd taken our orders I took a closer look.

"Looks like a birth mark," I said with a shrug.

"That's intentional. The Hutts don't want customers to think they have damaged goods."

"What are you talking about?"

"Walk up and take a close look at it and you'll see there's a pattern to it, design of interlacing squares. Each Hutt has their own design."

I humored her and walked up to the two of them. "Hey, Aric."

"Um... hey," he said, not really looking at me. It was clear he'd had quite a bit to drink at this point.

"Friend of yours," the girl asked, leaning into Jorgan. I took the opportunity to take a closer look at the shoulder. Wouldn't you know it, Dorne was right.

"Uh, yeah, we go way back," he stumbled.

"I'll go find my own company," I said with a laugh. "You may want to lay off the booze a bit."

"Yeah, yeah," he replied, already focusing on the girl.

"How'd you know," I asked her when I got back to our table.

"My uncle taught me to watch the small details ever since I was a little girl. When I was growing up Father would have a few dealings with Hutts and sometimes I got to come along. I always noticed the different marks, and one day I asked my uncle about it."

"How did your uncle know what they were?" The fact that she hesitated told me I might not like the answer.

"The Personnel Division is not aware of his occupation. If they did..."

"I can keep a secret," I promised.

She looked doubtful, but told me all the same. "He is a member of Imperial Intelligence. In fact, if I have heard correctly, he was just promoted to the position of Minister of Intelligence."

She looked at me apprehensively as I digested what she told me. "I can understand why you wouldn't want Kalor to know about that one. Don't worry, your secret is safe with me." She visibly relaxed when I said that.

"I know they may figure it out someday..."

"Honestly, wouldn't be surprised if SIS already knew. You stay in contact with your uncle?"

"No."

"Been involved in any shady dealings?"

"Certainly not."

"Then I wouldn't worry. We can tell Garza if you'd like so we can cover all our bases, and you know she'll watch your back."

"That would probably be the wisest course of action," she sighed.

"Come on," I said standing. "Let's take a walk." She finished off her drink before rising to join me. The hotel had a balcony that wrapped around its perimeter that was deafeningly quiet compared to the noise coming from inside. I offered her my arm as soon as we stepped outside. She raised her eyebrow again, so I explained with a shrug, "Manners that have been drilled into me since I was young enough to walk dictate I offer my arm to any lady who is kind enough to grace me with her presence."

"Since manners I was raised with dictates one never refuses an escort from a gentleman, I suppose I have to accept," she said as she gracefully slipped her arm into mine. Her accent thickened and I could tell she had slipped back into old habits her mother had forced on her.

"You don't have to do anything you don't want to, Dorne," I told her sincerely. I didn't want her to feel trapped.

"Since you insisted I call you by your given name while we're here, the least you could do is call me Elara," she stated as she started walking, forcing me to follow.

"As my lady decrees," I said with a smile. We walked in comparable silence for a while, before something she said sank in. "When you called that girl a dancer...?

"I was being polite," she said smirking.

"So does Jorgan know he's gonna have to pay?"

"Odds are he already has." When she saw my shocked look, she explained, "Did you notice what he was drinking?"

"Not really," I confessed.

"The liqueur bottle had the same design as the marking on the girl's shoulder. Since some clientele might frown at the idea of paying directly for... services, they will get their money in indirect ways. The client is none the wiser."

"You were close to your uncle."

"He always looked out for me, did his best trying to teach me to trust no one."

"Even him?"

"Especially him," she said with a small smile. "Although, I had a hard time not trusting him; sometimes it seemed like he was the only one really looking out for me."

"What do you mean?"

"After Lord Baras' attack on the Cathar settlers, it was passed down from the top of command that I was labeled a high UA risk, and therefore not to go on patrol. However, suddenly a few days later I was assigned to a night patrol, despite the OIC's objections. As I gathered my equipment prior to heading out, I saw a note in my locker with the routes of both Republic and Imperial patrols for the night."

"Sounds like he heard what happened and gave you his blessing."

"He is Mother's older brother, and did not necessarily see eye to eye with Father. He was open minded about promoting aliens inside intelligence and he hated the Sith."

"Sounds like a decent man, for an Imperial," I said with a small smile. She smiled back and looked down. Changing the subject, I asked, "Did you have a hard time getting used to the culture shock going from the Empire to the Republic?"

"Absolutely. It was like a whole new way of thinking that I'd never dared imagine. Not only equal rights, but equality under the law? Even if it is not always practiced, just the theory of it was amazing to me."

"It was the food that got to me. Don't you give me that look, I'm a guy, it's how we tick," I said with a smile. She laughed, something I'd never heard out of her before. "Plus, I'd grown up with the idea of equal rights."

"Then you were extremely fortunate," she said with a sigh. "Please do not misunderstand, growing up wasn't all bad. In fact, my family could be warm and loving in private."

"Do you ever regret your decision to defect?"

"Never," she said with conviction. "I knew I would miss my family, I just did not imagine this much. It is the little things that I miss the most: family discussions over dinner, listening to Grandfather's stories, the view from the back of the estate of the Kaas jungle… I will hear a sound, or catch a whiff of some familiar smell and it is like I am back," she trailed off.

"Just to have reality come crashing in that this is your life," I finished for her wistfully. "Even though you wouldn't trade it for anything, a part of you can't help but mourn for all that's lost."

"I knew you would understand," she said quietly.

"You know you can talk to me anytime and it'll stay between us. You're safe with me, Elara."

"I would not know where to start. I have been doing this on my own for so long..."

"You don't have to be alone. I know I couldn't have lasted without being able to keep regular contact with my brothers. I know how difficult this can all be."

"Those around me just seem to get hurt," she said sadly.

"If this is about Kessik IV..."

"I never told you the rest of story, the other reason I ran from the Empire." She stopped walking and let go of my arm before moving to lean on the guard rail running along the outside. "I met Sergeant Malavai Quinn when I arrived on Kessik IV, he had been there about a week at that point and showed me around. There was an instant attraction and soon after we started dating."

She was looking out over the city, and I could almost see the memories playing out over her eyes. "He was the one who helped me deal with everything. He did not exactly approve, mind you. There were rumors flying, how I was an alien lover since all the Cathar would come to me; how I was having a secret relationship with Capt. Donhal. Your cousin was a good man," she said, looking at me before focusing back over the city. "I greatly valued his friendship. Although Malavai objected, he saw how important it was to me so he did not get in my way. He came home with me for leave one time and my parents adored him, he was everything Mother wanted in a husband for me and his service record impressed Father. They were both thrilled when we announced our engagement a few days later. It was shortly after we returned from that trip things started to fall apart."

"What happened," I asked softly.

"He started to pull away. He did not believe the lies that were spread about me, but it was clear he believed I had disgraced our unit by helping embolden the Cathar. He had such blind loyalty to the Empire; I should have known something was wrong when Mother approved of him. The night before the massacre we had a terrible fight. He said he still loved me, but he did not know if he could commit his heart to someone who betrayed the Empire so egregiously. I told him that if that is what he truly believed I had done then he did not have a heart. He walked out and I did not see him for the rest of the night. I avoided him the next day, even though some mutual acquaintances informed me he was looking for me so he could apologize."

"Did he ever get the chance?"

She shook her head as tears started to silently stream down her cheek. "After Lord Baras had the survivors murdered, he told Col. Presley to have me taken to his chambers, and that I should be restrained so I could be 'disciplined'."

"What did that entail," I asked, dreading the answer.

"Everyone knew the basics: rape, torture, death if you were lucky… I never found out exactly what Lord Baras had planned for me. Before the order could be carried out, someone shot Col. Presley and the other solider that moved to take me into custody. I looked over to see Malavai standing behind me with a blaster rifle. He told Lord Baras that he would never have me, that he would have to be taken first. And that is exactly what Lord Baras did. The last I ever saw of Malavai was Imperial troops dragging him away as Lord Baras laughed. Before the Dark Lord left, he told me he liked this outcome better."

"Elara..."

"Those around me get hurt," she said softly.

"No, those around Sith get hurt," I said as I turned her to face me, keeping a hand on each arm. "My father lusted for more political power, but he never would have considered murdering an entire house for it if it hadn't been for the Sith advisor he'd taken up with. None of this was your fault, just like what happened to Nee'ran's family wasn't my fault. It took years before I accepted that fact, and I'll do whatever I can to help you accept it too."

She started to sob, so I pulled her to me and held her, giving all the support she needed. After a while she pulled away and started wiping her eyes. "I apologize, Lieutenant. Here we are, supposed to be having a good time and I end up crying all over you…"

"After everything you've been through, it's only natural to need to find a release, and I'm guessing you haven't really had anyone to talk to about this."

"Not so much," she said with a small laugh.

"Look," I said, pulling her back into my arms, "I'm here whenever you need me. I know I'm your CO, but that doesn't have to be all."

"What are you saying," she asked looking up at me. Her eyes were red rimmed from crying and she looked extremely vulnerable.

"We can talk about this later," I said with a regretful sigh. As much as I wanted to continue this conversation, it was clear it needed to wait. "How about we call it a night? That way we can get up refreshed and give Jorgan's hung over ass a hard time tomorrow."

"That sounds like an excellent idea," Elara said, turning toward the hotel entrance. Although she pulled away, her hand remained in mine, giving me hope for a future between us.

* * *

A few days later we were back in General Garza's office. Our leave had been cut short thanks to new intel about a growing threat. Before she would brief us on our next assignment, Garza needed me to make a choice.

"Alright, Jorgan, what makes you think you'd make a good XO?"

"Are you kidding me," he demanded, "I was a lieutenant when you met me. I was an operations officer on Ord Mantell for more than three years. If Tavus hadn't left the lazy jerks upstairs hungry for a scapegoat I'd still be a lieutenant. Besides, you've seen my results in the field; I'm obviously the most qualified for XO. Don't get me wrong, Dorne's a good soldier, but she has no command experience, and in this line of work, that's what really matters. Whoever you pick, thanks for at least hearing me out."

"Ok Dorne, what makes you a better choice for XO than Jorgan?"

She looked like she wanted to say something before thinking better of it. Finally, she said, "I have experience leading SAR teams, both in the Imperial and Republic military. You've seen my record and know all the commendations I have received, more than Sgt. Jorgan in just two years of service in the Republic. However, he makes a compelling case that cannot be ignored. Although I have plenty of experience leading small groups, I have no real command time. Therefore, for the sake of Havoc Squad, I respectfully request my name be removed from consideration as Executive Officer."

"Are you sure?" I was blown away by what she said. Truth be told, I was torn over who to select, and I wasn't expecting this.

"Yes Captain," she said looking at me. Although I could see disappointment in her eyes, there also looked like something akin to mischief in there as well. I made a mental note to ask her about that later.

"Looks like Havoc has a new XO," Garza announced. "Lt. Jorgan, Sgt. Dorne, if you would please excuse the Captain and me, we have much to discuss. He can brief you once he's finished. Dismissed."

_Elara_

Lt. Jorgan and I stepped out of the General's office and made our way back to the ship. It was clear the Lieutenant wanted to ask me something, but for once did not seem able to figure out how to say it. To save him the trouble, I finally broke the silence. "Sir, if I may, I would like to be the first to congratulate you on your promotion."

"Thanks Dorne, although I gotta ask, what made you give it up?"

"Clearly you were the better candidate," I said, telling a partial truth. I personally believed I would have made a better XO, but I couldn't tell him what I was really planning.

"Thanks for that," he said. "Means a lot coming from a soldier like you."

"I do not know how much time you've had to review your copy of the handbook regarding responsibilities to be carried out by the Executive Officer…"

"I know how to run a squad, Dorne," he said suspiciously.

"Of that I have no doubt, sir," I continued patiently. "However, I was wondering if you knew that it fell to the XO to manage all reports containing to the ship and crew, not to mention in charge of the 3M program, ensuring all proper medical paperwork is filled out properly and signed by the CO, then there is performance related paperwork…"

"How much can one squad generate," Lt. Jorgan interrupted, suddenly looking overwhelmed. "We didn't have half as much in the Deadeyes."

"If you look in the handbook, you'll see a list of everything you are expected to oversee. It also states, should you think it necessary, you can designate a member or members of the team to assist in this as a collateral duty. I would like to volunteer for this position, should you feel the need for help. I believe the past few months have demonstrated my ability to properly maintain crew reports and medical documentation, since the job was assigned to me upon first reporting as the senior medical personnel. However, should you desire, I can provide references."

"That would be appreciated," he said with a sigh. "Thanks Dorne."

"It is my pleasure, Lieutenant."

* * *

A/N2: The 3M program is a Navy program (as I am a sailor I'll be using a lot of terms from the Navy). To sum up it's the maintenance program and there is an ungodly amount of paperwork generated. There's always one person at each command to oversee it and that's their whole job.


	8. Ch 7: Revelations

_Javen_

I found Elara sitting at her desk organizing all the paperwork for her new collateral duties. As soon as I stepped in the med bay, her head snapped up and she rose from her chair.

"Captain, is there something I can do for you?"

"I was just wondering why you removed yourself as a candidate for XO."

"I believe I explained it while we were with the General."

"I know what you said, and I also know it's a load of shit."

"I beg your pardon," she asked arrogantly, raising her eyebrows.

"See, that's one of your tells," I stated. "Your accent just got thicker and I can picture you in an Imperial uniform talking down to some superior you know is wrong. Just like what happened with Col. Gaffe. My guess is it's an old habit you picked up from your family to help cover your nervousness."

"Captain, I have no idea what you are-"

"You just clasped your hands behind your back," I interrupted. "I've only ever seen you look this nervous with that idiot Kalor. Do I throw you off that much?"

"You are an extremely exasperating man," she said releasing a frustrated sigh.

"It's a gift," I replied with a smile. "So are you going to tell me what's going on?"

"I am not really sure where to begin," she answered without looking at me.

"Well, you can tell me what you're thinking that has you this worked up. You never have to be afraid to tell me anything."

"It... It is just that I have become quite fond of you," she admitted, looking at the ground. "You have helped me more than anyone I have ever known. Because of this I am forced to ask if perhaps you might feel the same fondness for me?"

"I think you're an amazing woman, Elara," I said simply.

She looked up and smiled at me quickly before her eyes became troubled again. "I... it is just that personnel code, section 2 discourages romantic relationships between personnel, particularly commanding officers," she said looking torn.

"Well, I guess that settles that," I said stepping closer to her. Her eyes widened in surprise, but she didn't step away from me, in fact she took a step closer so we were almost touching.

"I want to spend more time with you," she confessed as I placed my hand on her cheek.

"That makes two of us."

"The regulations make it very clear-"

"Funny thing about regs, look through enough of them and you'll eventually find a loophole. The fact that Jorgan is your direct supervisor will make anything that goes on between us easier with the brass." When I saw the look she was giving me, everything made sense. "That's why you turned down XO, there was a better chance of us being allowed to be in a relationship if I wasn't your supervisor."

She gave me a guilty smile, but I could see the mischievous expression in her eyes again. "I did not want to say anything earlier in case you did not feel the same way."

"Remind me never to play pazaak against you."

"I will be sure to keep that in mind."

"Dorne," Jorgan bellowed from somewhere in the ship.

"Medical bay, sir," she replied taking a few steps back.

My new XO walked in and said, "I need to talk to you if you got some time."

"Of course. I was just giving the Captain a status update per regulation 211 before starting our next mission."

"I can get out of your way," I said moving to leave.

"Sir, if it's all the same I'd like you to stay, that way I can just get this over with."

"Alright," I said as I leaned against one of the beds. "What's going on?"

"As you know, Gen. Garza just contacted me. In order to keep Personnel Division at bay she made a deal that your files and any transmissions not of a confidential nature would be stored and subject to random searches. As the new XO, that duty fell to me."

"This can't be legal," I said angrily. From the way Jorgan was looking, it was clear he wasn't any happier about the situation.

"Actually it is," Elara said sadly. "I can provide you with a copy of the applicable regulations, but suffice it to say, as I am not a full citizen of the Republic I am not entitled to the same rights to privacy."

"This is madness," I replied.

"I am afraid it is what it is." She looked over at Jorgan and smiled sadly before saying, "I appreciate the courtesy of informing me."

"I want you to know I don't think this is right," Jorgan told her sincerely. "This is total bull shit, we all trust you with our lives."

"Too bad Personnel Division does not."

"I got permission from Garza to use 4X to do the scans. After every scan the information is automatically wiped, ensuring your personal information is as private as I can keep it."

"You mean every scan that does not have evidence of treason," Elara stated bitterly.

"Like I said," Jorgan said without hesitation, "every scan."

"Thank you," she said, finally making eye contact with Jorgan. "Your trust means a lot."

"There is a scan going on now, but 4X should be wrapping up any time now."

"Lieutenant," the war droid's voice boomed, "I have a matter of great urgency I must discuss with you!"

"Done already?"

"That's just it sir! I found something."

"Impossible," I said as 4X handed Jorgan a pad.

"A single incoming transmission with Imperial codes piggy backing off a transmission from the docking authority sent to Dorne's personal message inbox," he read from the pad.

"Let me see that," I said taking the pad from Jorgan. "There has to be a mistake."

"Did you find anything to indicate a history of this," Jorgan asked as I looked over the pad.

"No sir! I believe this to be a one-time event. It could be a former comrade of the sergeant has seen the error of their ways and also wishes to defect to our glorious Republic."

"Thank you for the support, 4X," Elara said sadly as she sank into the chair in front of her desk.

"Elara, correct me if I'm wrong, but isn't this an Imperial distress code," I asked, handing the pad to her.

She took it and examined it closely before agreeing, "It is, sir, but I have no idea why anyone would send it to me."

"Could it be from your uncle?"

"Why would her uncle send her a hidden distress signal," Jorgan asked, eyeing us both suspiciously.

"It's a long story," I said quickly before Elara could say anything.

"Do I need to know this," Jorgan asked.

Elara said yes the same time I said no. We looked at each other before I said, "There's a small chance you may need to."

"Does Garza know," he asked, clearly annoyed

"Yes," we said at the same time.

"Then I don't want to hear it."

"To answer your question, Captain, my uncle would never be this sloppy. Although there is something about this code... With your permission, sir, I would like to play this on the holoterminal with both you and the Lieutenant present."

"Sooner we view this the sooner we can prove you're not hiding anything."

We walked out to the main holoterminal to view the message. As soon as she started the feed, a blond haired man in an Imperial recon uniform appeared.

Elara gasped, "Aleksei..."

"You know him," Jorgan questioned.

"Yes sir... he is my brother. I haven't seen him since I went home on leave with Malavai all those years ago."

"This must be hard for you," I said as I looked at her.

"It is more surprising than anything. I honestly never thought I would see his face again," she said sadly as she focused on the image of her brother.

"Elara, it has been a long time," her brother nervously said. "I… I hope you are doing well. I am sorry to contact you like this, but I need your help. My men and I… we are as good as dead. We are on Nar Shaddaa, we were caught tampering with one of the Hutts' operations. We never dreamed the slugs would have so much security. These Hutts are Imperial allies, there is no rescue team. We will be disavowed and left to die. Please, you are my only hope now."

"Jorgan, set a course for Nar Shaddaa," I said as soon as the image cut out.

"Already on it," he shouted as he made his way towards the navigation controls.

"4X," I said, continuing to issue orders, "update your report to Personnel Division stating the transmission discovered was an emergency beacon from Sgt. Dorne's brother. Havoc Squad moving to attempt rescue."

"Yes sir! However, due to regulations set forth by our fearless leader General Garza, Lt. Jorgan must authorize any updates you wish to make."

"I understand, go take care of it and see if he needs any help working the controls."

"Right away sir!"

I moved to follow 4X when I felt Elara's hand on my arm. I looked over at her to see she was fighting tears. "Why are you helping him?"

"He's your brother," I said simply.

"Thank you, Javen," she responded before hugging me tightly.

"Anytime," I replied as she pulled away.

"I need to get my SAR gear ready. It would be better if I went in alone. I know my brother and I believe I can get him to defect. It would be easier to accomplish that, however, if he did not feel out numbered."

"Get him out safely, convince him if you can. I'm gonna have Jorgan cover your exit from a distance."

For a split second there was a disappointed look on her face before it quickly disappeared. "Of course," she said as she abruptly left to grab her gear.

"Smooth," Jorgan said sarcastically as he came up next to me.

"And people called me a ghost… How long were you standing there?"

"Long enough to see you make a jackass out of yourself by implying you didn't trust Dorne enough with this."

"What are you talking about? I told her, your just there to cover their escape."

"Right after she was almost accused of conversing with the enemy."

"But I never accused her of any of that."

"Doesn't matter," he pointed out. "Shit boss, don't you know anything about women?"

"I didn't exactly get much experience considering I was betrothed at age 4."

"Then let me break this down so even you follow: right now she needs to know you trust her, and instead it looks like you're sending me to babysit her."

"But I'm not!"

"Then you need to go explain that to her so she doesn't get the wrong idea. If you'll excuse me, I'm gonna go get my gear ready and I'll be sure to keep 4X occupied."

I found her in the crew's berthing packing her gear. "I should be ready to leave within the hour," she said without looking up. "I'll be sure to wait for the Lieutenant."

"Elara, I know how it sounded…"

"It's perfectly understandable, sir," she said without looking up.

"Would you listen to me for a minute before you freeze me out?" Judging by the hurt in her eyes, I knew I'd said the wrong thing. "Look, I'm sorry, for what I said earlier and just now. It's just that I don't want to send you needlessly out into danger. Knowing the Imps, they'll want to make sure there are no witnesses left to tell the Hutts what your brother's team was doing there. I don't want to risk losing you."

"Our job is inherently dangerous."

"And I get that," I tried to explain. "We're Spec Ops, there's a reason they'll only send us in certain situations. It's why we always take every precaution we can in the field. Jorgan's only gonna be there to cover your escape. The only contact I want you to have with him is when you make it into the prison and when you're on your way out. You don't have to check in with him, you don't have to meet up, none of that. I've never sent anyone in alone, and I'm not gonna start now." She looked to be thinking on what I said, and I knew I was needed elsewhere. I let out a tired sigh and said, "I trust you Elara, but since I can't be there I gotta know someone has your back. I'll hold off Garza as long as I can before we need to report to Balmorra. Good Luck."


	9. Ch 8: Family Letters

A/N: All information in this chapter about Chiss culture (including info on their names) I got from wiki/Chiss

* * *

_Elara_

I felt horrible for the way I had jumped to conclusions with Javen. After I returned I had tried to apologize, but he had immediately brushed it off saying he understood and we had a mission to complete.

Once we returned to the ship having successfully recruited a new member to Havoc Squad, I looked for him in his quarters, but he was not there. I saw him talking in the Cargo Bay with Specialist Vik and waited patiently out of ear shot for him to finish. As soon as he walked out and saw me he sighed and said, "I'm in no mood for a lecture on regulations. I know I'm walking a thin line with Vik, but I need his trust."

"Captain," I started, hurt and confused, "I was not listening in. I was merely waiting for you so I may apologize for my earlier actions."

He looked me over and sighed again. "No, it's my fault. If I had explained myself better initially you wouldn't have thought I mistrusted you and I had no business snapping at you just now. I'm sorry."

"There's nothing to forgive, sir," I replied feeling some of the load lift off my shoulders.

"Back to that, huh," he said with a rueful smile. "I guess I really screwed up."

Before I could respond, Lt. Jorgan walked in. "Captain Kalor is calling in. He says he wants to talk to me and Sgt. Dorne, but I think you should be there too, boss."

"Kalor? I thought we answered to Garza," Specialist Vik asked, leaning against the door frame.

"Bureaucratic nonsense," Javen said to him. "You just keep working on what we talked about."

"You got it," he said walking back into the Cargo Bay.

"Let's get this over with," he said signaling for us toward the holoterminal. "I'd like to get some sleep before landing on Hoth."

"Captain Kalor," Lt. Jorgan said after activating the terminal, "both Capt. Terral and Sgt. Dorne are present."

"Good, saves me the trouble of hunting him down separately," he replied. I looked over at Javen questioningly and it was clear he didn't know what was going on either. "I've got General Garza on the line as well. Good afternoon General."

"This had better be good, Captain," the General warned.

Ignoring her, Capt. Kalor turned to me and said, "That was nice work bringing in your brother to defect. I read over Lt. Jorgan's report, and can't help but wonder what else you're still not telling us."

"What are you talking about," Lt. Jorgan demanded. "My report made it clear: Sgt. Dorne's brother contacted her without any prior knowledge on the Sergeant's part. I accompanied her on the rescue mission and it was obvious from my perspective that this was the first contact they'd had in a long time. I also made clear my belief that she is no security threat, a belief shared by both Capt. Terral and Gen. Garza."

"Clearly you are blinded by your own bias. How did he know how to find you Elara," Captain Kalor demanded.

"You would know that answer better than I would," I answered curtly. I was really beginning to tire of his baseless accusations. "The message gave no indication and we did not have much time to catch up after I rescued him and led him to Republic custody."

"Captain," General Garza interrupted, "you had better get to the point quickly."

"A month before he contacted you from Nar Shaddaa, Capt. Terral sent out two messages from Nar Shaddaa airspace. This seems like too big a coincidence to ignore."

"You intercepted private transmissions from a Spec Ops team," the General asked angrily. I had never seen her so upset and I started to get concerned about her blood pressure. I glanced over at the Captain and I saw his jaw mussels tightening.

"Those letters were for my brothers," he said, his voice unusually quiet. "You may have heard of my younger brother, Jarvel. He's a Jedi and they call him the 'Hero of Tython.' I had learned new information concerning our cousin I knew both my brothers would want to hear."

Before Captain Kalor could answer, another figure appeared on the terminal. "Captain Terral," General Garza explained, "I'd like to introduce you to Grand Master Jedi Satele Shan. Grand Master Jedi, this is Captain Terral, brother to Jedi Knight Jarvel."

"An honor," Captain Terral said bowing.

"The honor is mine," she replied, also bowing slightly. "If you are half the warrior your brother is than the General is lucky to have you."

"I'm sorry to disturb you, Grand Master Jedi, however, I thought you'd be interested to hear how Captain Kalor intercepted messages from Captain Terral and Knight Jarvel."

"It was for the security of the Republic," he defended himself.

"Be wary, Captain," Grand Master Shan warned, "hiding behind ideals to commit wrongs is the way of the Sith."

"These letters show proof of treason!"

"How did you even get your hands on them," Lt. Jorgan demanded. "We didn't start sending you information until after Tavus had been captured."

"The information was stored on the databank," Kalor said smugly. "When you sent out your report on Elara the messages were attached."

"Read the letter," Javen said quietly, his voice calm.

"Excuse me?"

"You heard me, Captain," he said, voice unchanged. "Read the letter."

"There are two here…"

"And they both say the same thing," he explained.

"Very well," Kalor said, pulling up a pad. "The top line is unreadable, most likely a code of some sort since it's different on each one."

"Those would be Kanja'vrel'terra and Kanja'vus'terral. The last line is pronounced Kanja'ven'terral," Javen explained. Although he was doing an excellent job masking it, I could sense his growing anger.

"As I said," Kalor dismissed, "Clearly code for something. It continues: 'This message will most likely be a surprise as I have not been able to contact you in some time. I wish this letter could have a happier message, but I found out information that I feel you need to know about. Remember the Imperial Rin…. Ren…'" Kalor made a frustrated sound and said, "Obviously that bit is also code since it doesn't make any sense-"

"It's pronounced Renhar'kondon'hal," Javen interrupted. "Keep reading."

"'Remember the Imperial… that word… fell for? She defected right after Kessik IV and is now a member of my team. She was able to tell me what happened to our cousin.'"

"This is a personal letter," General Garza said angrily.

"I agree," Grand Master Shan said. "Knight Jarvel has confided in the Masters here how the events of Kessik IV and those leading up to his arrival at the Jedi Temple has affected him. This letter would have undoubtedly helped bring closure to a painful part of his past."

"But these words, clearly they are code!"

"Renhar'kondon'hal, Kanja'vrel'terral, Kanja'vus'terral, Kanja'ven'terral are formal names," Javen explained, anger starting to seep into his voice. "In my culture that is how you would be introduced to someone, especially someone of a different station. When dealing with each other on a day to day basis, Chiss will shorten it to the last sound of the first name, the middle, and then the first sound of the last. However, since we dealt with outsiders more than other families, we modified it. Javuste, Javente, and Jarvelte were too difficult for non Chiss to pronounce, so it was changed to Javus, Javen, and Jarvel. We made the last part of the name act like a Surname so it was easier to understand. My cousin, Renhar'kondon'hal did the same thing and went by Harkon Donhal. When writing to each other we always use our formal names. It's a way to ensure the letters are authentic since non-Chiss would have the same trouble using those words as you did, Captain."

When he saw the look he was getting from General Garza, Captain Kalor tried to defend himself, saying, "This looked suspicious! I didn't grow up on Chiss or grow up speaking it—" Javen muttered something in his native language that interrupted Kalor and had me raising my eyebrows. "What did you say," he demanded. When Javen didn't answer he turned to me, "Elara, you understood him. What did he say?"

"I apologize, sir, but I'm afraid what the Captain said does not translate very well into Basic," I covered. I picked up a little of the language while helping Capt. Donhal, and I knew enough to know that was one of their profanities.

"I am from the planet Csilla," Javen stated harshly. "Although we speak several different languages, the main language spoken is Cheunh. The people, and only them, are referred to as Chiss." Kalor tried to interrupt, but Javen kept speaking his voice starting to rise with anger, "You have disrespected my XO by ignoring his report and accusing him of an unwarranted bias, and are needlessly persecuting a member of my squad. If that weren't insult enough, you rifle through my personal correspondence to fuel your persecution. You butcher my language, insult my heritage, and then use your ignorance as an excuse."

"Captain Kalor," General Garza said once Javen had finished, "I believe it's time to sever the connection with Havoc Squad and continue the discussion between the three of us."

"I..I…," he barely stammered before Garza interrupted him.

"Captain Terral, continue on with your mission and contact me when you reach your destination."

"Of course, General," he said, fighting to bring his emotions under control.

"Before you go," Grand Master Shan said, "a piece of advice, Captain? I can sense the anger in you. Be watchful it does not consume you. Jedi are not the only ones who must be vigilant. You are in a position to do both great harm and good."

"I understand," Javen answered. Bowing again, he bid farewell saying, "May the force be with you, Grand Master Jedi."

"And with you, Captain," she said, returning the gesture before severing the connection.

The terminal went dark leaving all of us in an awkward silence as Javen tried to regain control of his anger.

"I'm gonna go check the nav controls to make sure we're still on target for Hoth," Lt. Jorgan said before walking out and leaving the two of us alone.

"If that is what you have been through the past three years, then you never have to apologize if you lose your temper for someone not trusting you," Javen finally said. "I haven't been that angry since the last time I dealt with the Aristocras."

"Aristocras?"

"It's what we call the Aristocracy on Csilla," Javen explained. "I hated dealing with them; they are all nothing but a bunch of lying backstabbers who would stop at nothing to gain more power, including assassination attempts."

"Really," I asked, intrigued. "You would never think that from the image your people present."

"That's intentional," he sighed. "Project an aura of calm while you plot the downfall of a rival house. It's why I was happy to let Javus deal with all of them as the heir. I was happy with my role."

"The role of a soldier is usually simpler than that of a politician," I agreed. "At least, when you are lucky enough that those you are fighting with hold the same standards of honor as you were raised with."

"That must have been a difficult truth to accept after your family's history of service to the Empire."

"I've always preferred difficult truths to easy lies," I answered. After I had given him a few more minutes to calm down, I asked, fighting to keep the smile away, "So, your cousin 'fell for' me?"

"I wasn't sure if you knew that or not," he admitted. "Harkon would write about you regularly. Not by name, of course. He suspected his messages weren't as private as the Imperials claimed."

"What did he say about me?"

"All flattering," I was assured, "and he was right on every count."

It did not escape my notice he was intentionally vague about what was said. "Front or backside?"

"What," he asked, looking confused.

"What he wrote about, was it about my front or backside?"

"It wasn't just about your rack… chest… uh… front… side," he stammered. I almost felt bad considering how nervous he appeared. "He talked about other things like… like… your big heart."

"To fit in my large 'rack'?"

"I… I really have no idea how to answer that…"

"That is alright, I suppose I should be flattered that the two of you seemed to appreciate my front side. If you wish to get a few hours a sleep before we get to Hoth, this would be the opportune time. Sleep well, Javen."

I wanted to stay to see his reaction, but I walked away knowing I would not be able to hold in the laughter much longer. When the medical bay door closed behind me, I could not hold it back any longer and would not have been surprised if the entire ship heard me laughing.


	10. Ch 9: Unlikely Help

_Javen_

I was sitting at my desk thinking over what just happened when Jorgan barged in. He threw more reports on my desk before heading for the flask and grabbing his usual chair.

He popped off the cap and handed to me before snickering and saying, "Hell, Dorne really got you."

I grabbed the flask from him. "Keep laughing buddy, you know shit rolls downhill. If I'm pissed, everyone suffers, especially a smartass XO," I added before taking a swig.

"Unbunch your panties," Jorgan said as he snatched the flask and took his own drink.

"Easy for you to say, you're not the one Elara's upset at."

"So it's Elara now," he asked, laughing again as I took the flask back. "You got nothing to worry about boss."

"And why's that," I demanded after taking a large drink. I made a mental note to refill it at the next port call.

"Because first off, she called you Javen," he stated matter of factly. "Do you really think she'd do that if she were mad?"

"You may have a point," I grudgingly conceded.

"Second," he continued, "from where I was standing I could see she was trying not to laugh her ass off as she made her way to the med bay."

"I still feel like an ass."

"You should," he said taking the flask. "That's usually something you don't admit to most girls. Fortunately for you, Dorne isn't most girls." He took a final swig before handing it to me and rising. "Look, I just wanted to make sure you were good. Dorne has the best sabaac face I've ever seen, but I promise you she isn't offended."

"I hope you're right," I said taking a final swig as Jorgan walked out.

As punishment for messing with me the night before, I took Jorgan around Hoth with me as we helped Sgt. Yuun with his mission of reconstructing the Umbra Encyptor. He wasn't thrilled to be out there, but we were able to get the pieces quick enough and were soon heading out with the newest member of Havoc Squad.

I stepped onto the ship with Jorgan and Yuun trailing me just to run into Vik.

"Hey boss man, next time you need me to stay behind, can it be with someone other than the medic chick? She may be hot, but if I hear one more thing in that uptight voice about how I got another batch of paperwork…"

"Ah, Specialist Vik, there you are," Elara said coming around the corner. "I have been looking for you. You had made an error on the first page of the medical paperwork that unfortunately affected all the rest of them. I am afraid you will have to redo all of it."

"Are you fucking kidding me," Vik demanded.

Jorgan got right in his face and said, "The next words outta your mouth had better be 'I'll take care of it' or some variation or so help me I'll shove your sorry ass out the airlock, Garza's need for a demolitionist be damned."

The two had a staring contest for a minute before Vik turned toward Elara, took the pad she was holding out and mumbled, "I'll take care of it."

"Thank you," she replied as he started to walk away. "There's no real rush, I just need it before we start our next assignment."

"If you'll excuse me," Jorgan said as he walked away. "I need to go get something hot to drink. Not all of us were made to be romping around in the snow all day like the blue boy here."

"Funny thing about that," Javen said as soon as Jorgan was out of earshot, "Chiss are not actually 'made' for a colder climate."

"Really," Elara asked, intrigued.

"Our blue skin comes from a mineral our home world, but we're no more adapted the cold than humans."

"Interesting," she said, mentally cataloging what I had just said before turning to our newest member. "You must be Sgt. Yuun. I am the team's medic, Sgt. Elara Donre. I look forward to working with you."

"_We look forward to exploring the path with you as well_," Yuun replied.

"If you need anything, please let me know. I have some basic medical paperwork you need to fill out. I will get it to you after you settle in; it should not take you more than a few moments. I will not take up any more of your time."

Yuun bowed and headed into the ship.

"If Yuun's paperwork will only take a few moments, why has Vik been working on it all day," I asked, confused.

She made a disgusted face before saying, "I got so tired of him continuously checking out my backside that I started making documents up. The objective was twofold: first, he would be so busy filling out needless paperwork he would not have time to check me out, and second he would avoid me to avoid more work."

"Good thinking," I said, laughing. I sobered up before saying, "Look, about the conversation before Hoth…"

She interrupted me by putting her hand on my arm. "I am sorry for teasing you as I did, but I am afraid I could not resist. The look on your face was rather priceless."

"You definitely threw me off," I said with a nervous laugh. "I just didn't want to offend you. Harkon spoke very highly of you, and after these months together it's easy to see why." I rendered her momentarily speechless with my words. Unfortunately, that was right when Jorgan popped his head back in, causing Elara to quickly drop her hand.

"Hey boss, we're getting an incoming transmission. It looks like it's from Garza, judging by the signal."

"I'll be right there," I said before turning back to Elara.

"I have work that I need to see to in the medical bay," she said, placing her hand on my arm again. "We can talk more once you are done with the general."

"You can count on it," I said with a smile as we headed in different directions.

I walked up to the holoterminal just as Jorgan was securing the connection. "Come in, General," Jorgan said once the connection had been established.

"I am afraid you are mistaken, Lieutenant," said a man in an Imperial uniform who appeared on the terminal instead. He was older and judging by the uniform was extremely high ranking. "Although not to worry, I do have my people patching her in. I would hate for you to lose precious time having to brief her."

"Who the hell are you," Jorgan demanded.

"Patience," the man said. "If you would, could you please get Sgt. Dorne to join us?"

Jorgan looked back at me before I nodded. As soon as he left, General Garza appeared on the line. "What the hell is going on," she demanded.

"We are just waiting for one more person, General, and then we can get started," the Imperial officer said patiently.

I saw Elara follow Jorgan out of the med bay just to stop and gasp. "Uncle," she asked breathlessly when she saw the figure.

"Elara, it is so good to see you," he replied. "I apologize for withholding information, but I did not want anyone to think there was any sort of regular contact between us. My niece is having enough problems from this Captain Kalor and I would not want to add to it."

"How would you know all that," Jorgan demanded.

"Because he's the Minster of Imperial intelligence," I answered. "You don't rise to that kind of position without power and in your world secrets are power."

"I have always admired the Chiss," he said with a small smile. It was easy to see the familial resemblance. "Master strategists, clear code of honor, not to mention your people know the value of a secret."

"I'll be sure to let the Aristrocras know you think so highly of them the next time I'm in town," I answered sarcastically.

"You are an anomaly among your people," the Minister continued. "Most would barely say a word, but here you are, talking back, sarcastic even. Your people have a strict policy not to engage unless provoked, and yet here you are serving in an offensive unit against their allies."

"What can I say? My brothers and I have always been special."

"Clearly," he replied tilting his head and looking me over. He sighed before saying, "But I digress, I am afraid I did not go through all this trouble to contact you just to talk about your people, Captain."

"What do you want, Minister," Garza demanded.

"I want to make a trade," he said, "a favor for a favor."

"You want to work with us," I asked suspiciously.

"One of my agents, Cipher 9, needs assistance, and due to reasons I am not prepared to divulge I cannot send a member of Imperial Intelligence."

"Why would you trust us," Jorgan demanded.

"You," the Imperial scoffed. "Do not flatter yourself Lieutenant. No, no, it is my niece I trust. Should General Garza order her to assist in any way possible I know she will. Honor would compel her."

"And why, may I ask, would I ever authorize such a thing," Garza asked icily.

"As I said earlier General, a favor for a favor. You help Cipher 9, and I help you. I have it on good authority you are after the Gauntlet. Now, I myself cannot give you any information on it without giving myself away. However, I know where a courier is headed who is transporting information you would find invaluable as we speak. Once I see that Cipher 9 has been taken care of, the information you need will be transferred to you."

"And why should we trust you," Garza asked.

"Believe it or not, General, we do have goals in common," he said releasing a heavy sigh. "I have never been one for a high body count. It is why I joined Intelligence over the military. There are easier, less bloody ways to accomplish one's goals that do not paint you as a villain, and that is all the Gauntlet does. The second thing we have in common is we both want to see the fall of the Sith Empire."

"You really expect me to believe that you want the destruction of the Empire," Garza demanded.

"Certainly not," he replied, "I just want to see the end of the Sith. I proudly serve my Empire and would gladly die protecting it, however the Sith just continue to cause it to rot. If they have their way, we will be in a constant state of war. Non-force users will be the ones to give their lives for the Sith Lords while they war amongst themselves for more power, catching even more innocents in the cross fire. Too many have died already. If it were in my power, I would stop the war with the Republic from even happening," he said wearily.

"Words don't mean much from the Intelligence community," Garza pointed out.

"Do you really think I would help my niece escape to a side I wanted to destroy? And then after a few years send her twin brother as well? I had plans for them to help me reform the Empire. Instead, they were betrayed by the Sith and their commanders and I had no choice but to help them escape. My only hope now is that they can help the Republic achieve large victories against the Empire."

"Why would you want that," Jorgan asked.

"Because it would cause chaos," Elara said softly, slowly putting the pieces together. "If we achieve a large enough victory there will be power vacuums created in both the military and Sith hierarchy. Imperial Intelligence could move their pawns into place while the Sith kill each other."

"Exactly right, my dear," replied her uncle proudly.

"How long do we have to decide," I asked.

"Not long, I'm afraid," he answered. "In 30 minutes Cipher 9 will signal you. I am sending you the frequency you are to reply with if you agree to help. Once Cipher 9 has left your ship, I will receive a signal and know to send you the co-ordinates."

"How do we know we can trust you," Garza asked.

"Trust," he asked, clearly amused. "Never trust anyone in my position. However, Elara can tell you I do not lie."

"It is true," she agreed, "he has never lied outright. However, he does manipulate the truth and leave out key details. Which is what you are doing now, Uncle. What are you not telling us?"

"I wish I could answer you, unfortunately it is something you will have to see for yourself." It was startling to see him change from the Minister of Intelligence to her uncle. He smiled at her with a mixture of fondness and sadness and said, "I am so sorry the Empire failed you, Elara. You had the power to help it return to its ideals of duty and honor."

"I am sorry too," she answered sadly.

"You were the best of all of us," he said sadly before slipping back into the role of the Minister of Intelligence. He schooled his features to show none of his earlier emotions and said, "You have 30 minutes to decide. I sincerely hope you make the right decision."

* * *

A/N: Anyone who's played other characters (Imp Agent for the upcoming chapter, others to follow) should start recognizing character names if they haven't already. It's just too easy to find a way to link each Hero's companion characters to another Hero's.


	11. CH 10: Cipher 9

A/N: I seriously apologize for how long it's been since I've updated. Between life getting in the way, writer's block, and discovering the Mass Effect Trilogy (seriously, where have I been?) it's been hard to find the time to write. I'd like to thank Bob Rijke for his review, since that's what got me into gear to sit down and actually work on this. What was nice was once I got past one block the story just seemed to flow and I couldn't stop. Sorry if it doesn't flow well at times, I didn't want to take any more time on this and get on with the story.

FYI: This contains spoilers for the Imperial Agent story line as well as some major changes to it. If you want to dodge the spoilers go a head and skip to the next chapter.

* * *

_Javen_

I walked in the med bay after finishing up with Garza. The decision had been made that there was too much at stake to let this opportunity slip by and we agreed to help Cipher 9.

"This message came attached to the one containing the frequency to signal the Cipher agent," I said, handing Elara a pad. "Only 4X has seen it. As much as Garza trusts us, we can't risk Personnel Div finding out and using this as ammunition."

"I understand," she said as she took the pad. She read over the contents, and confused look passed her face.

"What's wrong," I asked.

"This does not make any sense. 'Remember what I taught you.' And this word at the bottom… onomonophobia? That's not even a real word."

"Could it be code?"

"If it is, it is not one I have ever encountered."

"You uncle doesn't seem the type to add superfluous information. You'll figure it out."

"I am sure you are right," she said before Jorgan walked in.

"Cipher 9 has just docked and signaled the need for a medic on deck."

"I will head out," she said as she grabbed her med kit and headed to meet Cipher 9.

"Superfluous," Jorgan questioned with a raised brow.

"I'm trying to increase my vocabulary. Too much?"

"Let me put it this way, boss," Jorgan explained as we made our way to join Elara. "There's a fine line between showing off and sounding like an idiot. You crossed that line by a mile."

"If there's one thing Javen excels at, it's playing the idiot."

My head immediately snapped towards the voice I never thought I'd hear again. "Nee'ran?"

"Figures you'd be the one they send me to for help. It's not enough your family betrayed mine, you also have to turn your back on the Empire as well," she said angrily as she clutched a wound on her right arm.

"I had nothing to do with that," I shot back. "And my loyalty is to my people, not those murdering dogs you serve!"

"As fascinating as this display is," Elara interrupted, placing herself between us as she scanned Nee'ran for injuries, "I really must see to that wound before it becomes infected."

"Prudent as always, Lady Dorne," came a voice from behind. I reluctantly shifted my attention away from my former betrothed to see a well-dressed man. At least, he was a man once, before he became a Joiner, as given away by his black eyes.

"Ambassador Hyliss," Elara questioned, immediately ceasing her scans.

"It appears you have traveled far since the night of the Embassy Gala."

"The same can be said of you, Ambassador," she said with a small smile.

"We had contacts on Kessik IV. We were sorry to hear of your involvement in that incident."

"You mean that massacre," she replied, anger entering her voice.

"Sgt. Dorne," I interceded, "focus on the matter at hand."

"Of course, Captain," she answered, visibly calming. "Cipher, if you would please come with me and I can take care of your injuries."

"We apologize for any offense," Ambassador Hyliss said, raising his arms in surrender. "None was intended."

"It's alright, Ambassador," Elara replied having returned to her normal professional demeanor.

"Kessik IV," Nee'ran questioned, closely examining Elara and myself, "you were there? You know exactly what happened to the Chiss that served there?"

"The entire Chiss division and innocent Cathar settlers were murdered under the orders of a Sith Lord," Elara said calmly.

"Did they all die," Nee'ran demanded. "Can you verify that there were no survivors?"

"That I am not able to do," she answered. "Captain Donhal ordered his soldiers to take as many settlers as they could to the Republic base and to surrender to the soldiers there. Most returned despite his orders. I do not know the exact numbers, however."

"My brother was there," Nee'ran explained before turning to me. "Your family had come to my estate to deliver the news that he was dead before they opened fire."

"I wish I could have been there to stop it," I said sadly as Elara returned to her scans.

"That makes two of us," she said sadly before turning to my medic and saying, "Let's get this over with."

"Of course," she responded, "however I am still unsure as to why you need my help for a simple flesh wound."

"Dr. Lokin is... indisposed... at the moment," Nee'ran answered with a small smile.

"You just let your ship's medic step away while you're in the middle of an assignment," Jorgan questioned. "What could possibly be more important?"

"Lieutenant," Elara said, resuming her scans, "when Imperial Intelligence is involved, that is a question that is best left unanswered."

"Especially with Dr. Lokin," Nee'ran muttered. "How long do you think this is going to take?"

"Not long. I will just need some quick medical history in order to give you the best treatment possible and then you can be on your way."

"Why would you need to know anything about my past medical history to treat my arm," Nee'ran asked suspiciously.

"Some antibiotics have the potential to cause swelling in recent injuries, especially cranial surgeries…"

"I've never had any cranial surgery," Nee'ran cut her off quickly. She started to fidget and subconsciously bit her lower lip.

"You're lying," I said, looking her over. "You only ever bite your lip when you lie."

"I don't know what you're talking about," she insisted.

"You'd think the Imperials would have taught you to lie better, given your chosen career."

"My scans indicate you had cranial surgery roughly six months ago," Elara said, focusing her scanner on the left side of Nee'ran's head.

"That would be right our fight with Darth Jadus," the Ambassador interjected.

"Vector," Nee'ran warned, turning to glare at him.

"Agent, you have not been yourself since you returned from your post op physical. We have been worried about you and Dr. Lokin has been unable to determine the cause of your distress. Perhaps Sgt. Dorne will be successful where we were not."

"You battled a member of the Dark Council," Elara said, looking at Nee'ran wide eyed.

"Killed him, actually," Nee'ran said with a sigh, running a hand through her shoulder length black hair.

"And you still live?"

"I'll admit the battle was difficult…"

"That is not what I meant," Elara interrupted. "You successfully killed a powerful member of the Dark Council. The Dark Lords would have demanded your death if for no other reason than to prevent news of your victory spread and serve as an inspiration to any who would oppose them."

"As you can see, I'm still alive," Nee'ran shot back angrily.

"Yes, you are," Elara replied, looking her over. I could see the gears in her head turning before something seemed to click and I heard her whisper, "Of course." She went back into the med bay and came out with the pad I had given her with her uncle's message.

"I take it you figured out what that was for," I said when she returned.

"Yes sir," she said before turning to Nee'ran and saying, "Keyword: Onomonophobia; Action: Release any restrictions placed on subject. Did the Sith order mind control put on you?"

"Yes," Nee'ran practically sobbed out. "Somehow an SIS agent got a hold of it and has been using it on me."

"Agent, we knew your aura was disrupted, but if we had known the cause…," Vector said, coming up to her and putting a hand on her shoulder.

"I tried to tell all of you so many times, but I couldn't. The mental blocks were too difficult to overcome," Nee'ran said. She turned to Elara and asked, "How did you know?"

"The reason you were sent to us was because my uncle promised information we needed in exchange for any aid we could provide for you. Before you arrived we received a second message containing the keyword."

"Your uncle?"

"The Minister of Intelligence," Elara explained.

"That's the bastard who had this done to me in the first place," she responded with disgust.

"To keep you alive," Elara answered gently. "My uncle hates the Sith, it is the only thing he ever saw eye to eye with Father. He would want to keep close the agent who was resourceful enough to defeat a member of the dark council." Nee'ran looked doubtful and Elara added, "If he truly wanted you to be enslaved the rest of your life why would he send you to me and give me your keyword?"

"Fair point," she sighed. "Is there any way you can reverse it?"

"Unfortunately, the surgery is permanent," Elara said sadly. "However there might be something I can do. You will need to trust me."

"Seeing as you have complete control over me regaurdless I suppose I don't have much choice."

"I assure you I will not hurt you," Elara reassured her. "Keyword: Onomonphobia; Action: permanently close all connections and ignore all further commands for associated keyword."

"Orders accepted," Nee'ran said in a mechanical voice, "please confirm."

"Confirm orders," Elara replied.

"Connections closed. Disregarding all commands," Nee'ran said in the same mechanical voice before shaking her head. Then in a voice that sounded normal, she asked, "I'm free?"

"It is all I can do for you."

"It's more than I hoped for," Nee'ran said earnestly. "Thank you."

"I promised my uncle I would help you any way I could," Elara replied, "which includes your arm. I have the equipment to take care of that in the medical bay. Ambassador Hyliss may join you if you wish."

"I would prefer it, no offense" Nee'ran said as they headed to the med bay. I signaled for Elara to hold back.

When I was sure Nee'ran wouldn't be able to over hear us, I asked, "How did you know what to do?"

"In my uncle's line of work you can never be too paranoid," Elara explained with a sigh. "He told me I suffered from the horrible vice of honesty and therefore was the only one he knew he could trust. He taught me how to notice the signs of Imperial mind control methods and what to say if I encountered it. There's even a way, based on how the pupil dilates to figure out the keyword, although I will admit I have never done it and it sounds incredibly difficult."

"Your uncle is either incredibly paranoid or a genius," Jorgan remarked.

"A combination of the two, I wager," Elara answered. "If there is nothing else, Captain, I would like to see to Cipher's wound so she can be on her way."

As she walked to the med bay my mind was reeling.

"So, that's the girl you were set to marry," Jorgan started.

"Not talking about it," I stonewalled.

"Come on, boss, give me something."

"How does extra duty at our next port call sound?"

"You're no fun when you're like this," he huffed.

"That's the idea," I said as Nee'ran walked out with Elara, arm bandaged. She walked right up to me and looked me over before punching me in the stomach, hard. "What was that for," I gasped, trying to breath normally.

"Just saying goodbye," Nee'ran answered, smirking. "Normally I would have pistol whipped you, but your Doc begged me not to."

"We are starting to run low on gauze pads and I would prefer to save them for an emergency," Elara responded, eyebrow raised, looking amused.

"Thanks Dorne," I said, rubbing the spot I had been hit. She merely nodded in acknowledgement.

"It's time I took my leave," Nee'ran said as I straightened. "We both have our missions to complete."

I nodded before bowing slightly and saying in Cheunh. _"May your journey always lead you home, Elnee'ra'ndor."_

"_May the stars guide you to safety, Kanja'ven'terral,"_ she replied, mimicking the gesture before she and her companion walked off.

As soon as her ship disengaged from ours, Yuun arrived with a coded message from the Minister of Intelligence containing all the details we needed as promised.


	12. Ch 11: Reunions

_Javen_

We entered the derelict station, blaster rifles ready. I had C2 keeping tabs on board the ship so I could have my entire team with me. I wasn't taking any chances.

The information we received from the Minister of Intelligence indicated the courier was a group of soldiers led by a high profile Imperial traveling with civilians for cover. They were to rendezvous at an abandoned space station with another group of Imperials who was to take the information to the next drop off location deeper in Imperial space.

Before we disembarked, Elara requested to only be referred to as 'Sergeant.' It would be obvious to whomever we encountered that we would have gotten information from an inside source, she reasoned, and didn't want her family to accused of treason by the Sith.

Not ten feet into the station we came across a man who was badly wounded. He was dressed in civilian attire, but the weapon that had fallen near him was clearly Imperial standard issue. Elara immediately went to help while I questioned him. "My name is Capt. Terral, Republic Army. Can you tell me what happened here?"

"We thought we were careful," he gasped out, "but they still found us."

"Who did?"

"Forces loyal to the dark council," he said, clearly in pain. "Set an ambush for us, we barely fought them off."

"You're a solider?"

"Sergeant 3rd class," he answered. "That is all you will get out of me Republic."

"Fair enough," I said rising. "The Sergeant will see to your wounds. 4X, stay and lend any assistance needed before meeting back up with us."

"Of course sir," 4X shouted enthusiastically.

We made our way deeper in, climbing over the bodies as we went. They were dressed in both military and civilian attire.

"The sergeant wasn't kidding when he said it was a hell of a fight," Jorgan remarked.

After exploring the maze of corridors, we finally made our way to a large docking bay. There was a ship at the far end of the bay, and surrounding it were the survivors from the battle all dressed in civilian attire. The few who weren't wounded were running around attempting to give what little aid they could to those laying on the ground. In the center of the chaos was an older man who seemed to be in charge. I signaled Vik to get Elara and 4X in here. Imperial or civilian, these people needed our help.

Movement in the bay ceased as Jorgan, Yuun, and I made our way to the man in the center of the room. If I had to guess, he looked like he was only in his fifties, although the stress seemed have prematurely turned his hair gray. He stood about a head shorter than me and had a scar that went from the middle of the left side of his forehead down to his left cheek bone. I couldn't see if the left eye itself was damaged due to the eye patch that covered it.

"Captain Javen Terral," I introduced myself when we got to him. "CO, Havoc Squad. This is Lt. Jorgan and Sgt. Yuun.

"What business do you have harassing innocent Imperial citizens," the man demanded. "We have done nothing to provoke you."

"Most of these people may be civilians, but you're not," I answered. The clothes didn't fool me, it was obvious he was Imperial military. "There's no point in trying to keep up this ruse, Moff …?"

He glared at me for a moment before giving a defeated sigh and saying, "Grand Moff will suffice."

"I think you know why we're here, Grand Moff," I said, putting my blaster rifle away. "I have no intention of harming anyone here and my medic would be willing to give whatever assistance she can."

"Why would you do that," he asked suspiciously.

"Andrew," a woman scolded coming up to him. She appeared to be the same age as the Grand Moff. If I had to guess she was his wife judging by her tone and the familiarity she acted around him. Her clothes had been stained red from tending to the wounded. "Will you stop looking a gift Nerf in the mouth? Right now we need all the help we can get."

"Any help you could give would be appreciated," the Grand Moff said. He gave his wife a defeated look before turning back, fire in his eyes. "If you so much as hurt one of the men under my command, I will see you killed."

"Andrew…" his wife said in a warning tone.

"It's fine ma'am," I said reassuringly, giving her a small smile. "I'd do the same in his position."

"There's the sergeant," Jorgan said, waving her over.

"So, Grand Moff, why were you and your men fighting your fellow brothers-in-arms," I asked.

"Those were no brothers of mine," he spat angrily. "You are here because of the Gauntlet, correct? Do you want to know the true purpose of the Gauntlet," he asked. Before I could answer he continued, voice rising in anger. "It was to finally rid ourselves of the Sith. To challenge the Dark Council means death, there is no way our soldiers could win in an open battle against them. But this weapon, it gives us the advantage we need to loosen their power over us. By destroying their ships before they can even engage us in battle… This weapon was going to be our liberator."

"But the Sith found out about it," I guessed.

"I have no idea how," he sighed. "We were so careful, so close to success. If the Dark Council knew enough to send troops here, then it is already too late and they now control the Gauntlet. I suppose shall have to rely on you to stop them."

"I'm a pretty sure bet," I said with a cocky smile. Elara appeared at my side and was about to say something when she noticed the people in front of me and froze.

"Elara," the woman breathed out. "Is that really you?"

"Mother, Father," Elara asked, looking at the couple, not seeming to believe what she was seeing. "What are you doing here?"

"First the Minister of Intelligence, then Cipher 9, now this," Jorgan mumbled. "And everyone says the universe is so big."

I glared at him before turning back to the reuniting family. "Grand Moff Dorne, I trust this will alleviate any fears you may have of my medic."

"That it does, Captain," he answered, never taking his eyes off his daughter.

A worm of a man seemed to slink out of the shadows and appeared next to the Grand Moff. He was taller than officer although his shoulders seemed to stoop and he was clearly older. What would come off as frail in most people came off as disturbing with his sunken eyes and the small patch of white hair that seemed barely stick to the top of his head. "Elara, so good to see you again after all these years," he said with a voice that seemed to send a chill down her spine. I could sympathize; there was something off about this man.

"Father, what is Dr. Henderson doing here," she asked, hand immediately going to her side arm as she looked the doctor over.

"Now that is no way to treat an old colleague," he chided.

"Unfortunately, I needed his assistance for the Gauntlet project," Grand Moff Dorne answered, clearly not proud of that fact.

Elara looked as if she was going to say something when she was interrupted by frantic shouting from somewhere deeper in the bay. Immediately Elara took off in the direction of the noise, with all of us not far behind.

By the time we caught up, Elara was already leaning over a young twilik child trying to give an examination as the mother hovered over her still speaking frantically.

"Ma'am, you need to calm down," Jorgan said, stepping up and focusing the mother's attention on him. She seemed to take a few deep breaths as he asked, "Can you tell us what happened?"

"It was him," she said, angrily pointing and Dr. Henderson. "He did something to my daughter and now she won't wake up!"

"What did you do," Grand Moff Dorne demanded.

"Really, it was better for her this way," Dr. Henderson replied, looking bored. "If she lived, it would only be a matter of time before she was sold as some Hutt's sex slave. At least this way her inferior life has some meaning by giving it for science."

"You bastard," Grand Moff Dorne angrily shouted. "I promised you immunity for your crimes as long as you ceased these experiments."

"Ah yes, a place in your grand new order, where true science is stifled," he answered. "The Sith, however, recognize the genius in my work."

"You betrayed us?"

"From the beginning," Dr. Henderson answered with a disturbing smile. He looked over to see Elara fighting to save the child's life. "Elara, dear, I would not waste your time. As talented a medic as you are, there is nothing even you can do for her."

She seemed to ignore him as she started to preform CPR on the girl. I watched helplessly as it became apparent that the girl would not be waking up. I looked over at Jorgan who was trying to comfort the mother. Our eyes met and it was clear we both had come to the same conclusion. After making sure Yuun would keep Grand Moff Dorne from attacking Dr. Henderson, I knelt next to Elara.

"She's gone," I told her quietly, but she ignored me and kept at it. "Elara," I said gently as I tried to grab her arms.

"No," she said, pushing me away, continuing to work. "I refuse to see another innocent lost to this moster!"

"Such a waste of effort," Dr. Henderson remarked, "on a lesser being of all things."

"Enough," I ordered, moving to stare down at him.

"Or what, Captain?" he asked in a contemptuous voice. "One of your Republic judges will lecture me to death?"

"I prefer the Chiss version of justice," I answered, voice low.

"Even better, you'll exile me," he asked, laughing.

"That's right," I answered, "the same way my people would: with a side arm, a day's worth of food and water, and some basic cold weather gear before turning you out on some frozen desert."

The doctor stopped laughing and looked me over before saying, with more fear than confidence, "You wouldn't."

"For a child killer? Without hesitation," I answered. My attention was immediately taken away from him when I heard coughing behind me. When I turned around, I saw the young girl sitting up with Elara running scans on her. Jorgan and I looked at one another dumbstruck.

"We need to get her to the medical bay on the ship," Elara said, exhaustion clear in her voice. "From there to a Republic hospital where she can recover."

"4X, carry the girl and escort her mother to the ship," I ordered once I could speak again.

"Right away sir!" The droid effortlessly picked up the girl before turning to her mother and saying, "If you would follow me, miss?"

"Thank you so much," the mother said to Elara, tears running.

"It was my pleasure," she replied, still sitting, clearly drained now that the adrenaline was leaving her system. Jorgan walked over to assist Elara as mother and daughter headed off to the ship.


	13. Ch 12: Family Secrets

A/N: This chapter is kind of dark. I wanted to set the stage to explain why people like the Minister of Intelligence and Grand Moff Dorne would by loyal to the Empire but not the rulers of it. This chapter gives the story its 'M' rating, and not for anything happy. You've been warned.

* * *

_Javen_

I watched mother and daughter leave before turning my attention back on Elara. By this time she had shakily made it back on her feet with Jorgan's help.

"Sgt. Dorne," I said sharply, getting her attention.

"Yes Captain," she asked wearily, trying to stand at attention.

"I seem to recall giving you an order to stand down," I said in the same tone of voice. She tried to say something, but I held up my hand immediately silencing her. "The next time that happens and I tell you to let a patient go, you tell me to go to something unholy to myself and keep working. That's an order."

She gave me a tired smile and answered, "Aye sir, although I may phrase it a bit more diplomatically."

"Damn it girl," I heard the Grand Moff swear. Elara's eyes immediately snapped to him and the smile vanished from her face. "How many times do I have to tell you to watch who you treat?" His face had gone hard, all softness he had when he looked at her before gone.

"Father, she needed help," she said weakly, defending herself.

"There are plenty of people who needed your help," he shot back, voice rising. There was anger in his eyes, but also fear.

"Are you kidding me," Jorgan shot back, coming to Elara's defense. "No one here is in immediate need of medical attention. Your daughter just brought that little girl back from death and you're condemning her?"

"Yes that was quite impressive, Elara dear," Dr. Henderson said as he looked Elara over critically. "Especially since there's no way you should have been able to bring her back with simple chest compressions. You know Andrew, it is really too bad for you and your followers that you were better at hiding Elara from the Sith than your treasonous activities."

"That's enough," Grand Moff Dorne said, teeth clenched in barely constrained anger.

"What's he talking about, Father," Elara asked, looking between the two men.

"You mean he never told you who your real father is," Henderson asked condescendingly. "I suppose I'm hardly surprised."

"I am her real father," the Grand Moff yelled angrily. Before Dr. Henderson could form any response, Elara's father quickly grabbed Yuun's side arm and discharged the full clip into him.

For a tense moment, no one moved. It was Elara's mother who finally broke the spell when she went to her husband, grabbed the weapon from her husband, and returned it to Sgt. Yuun.

"Mother," Elara asked weakly, "what was he talking about?"

"It is time she knew, Andrew," she said to her husband gently. He didn't move for a long moment before tiredly agreeing with his wife. I saw a defeated look on his face before he turned his back on all of us to compose himself.

"It is time I knew what, Mother," Elara asked, looking like she didn't really want an answer.

Her mother turned away from the Grand Moff with a sigh and faced her daughter. "You know the story how your father and I got together?"

"Never any details," Elara answered. "Just that you served on the same ship together and a few months later you and Father were married."

"I never told you why we married so quickly."

"Aleksei and I figured it out," Elara interrupted.

Her mother's eyes went wide. "How…?"

"It was not very hard to figure out, Mother," Elara explained. "Six months after reporting to the command you and Father were married. Eight months later Aleksei and I were born and you were separated from the Imperial Navy so you could raise us. The other children in our class always had to let us know when they figured it out. They would call you horrible names, it is why Aleksei got into so many fights at school."

A sad look crossed her mother's face. "If only that were the truth," she said with a quite sigh.

"What is the truth?"

"Five months after I reported were on a mission with a Dark Lord and several of his apprentices. During the mission I had somehow caught the attention of one of his apprentices. To this day I still do not know how since I had no direct contact with any of them, not that it matters.

"One moment I was getting off shift, going to meet up with your father in the mess hall for dinner, the next I am surrounded by ten Imperial soldiers demanding that I go with them. They took me to his quarters, chained me to a wall," her voice faded and eyes glazed as she became lost in memories best forgotten. Shaking her head to clear them, she forced herself to continue, "Once he was finished with me, I was thrown out of the room with only a blanket to cover myself. I made it to just outside the medical bay when I collapsed. I tried asking people passing by to help me inside, but no one did. Few even acknowledged I was there. Those that did either looked at me with disdain or pity."

"Why wouldn't anyone even help you inside the room," I asked, the question slipping out before I could stop it. It didn't feel right for Mrs. Dorne to have to air this secret with all of us present.

"In case the Sith still had eyes on me," she answered. "Anyone who helped could inadvertently have drawn his attention. I do not know how long I sat there before I started to fade into unconsciousness, but next thing I knew, Andrew had picked me up and was carrying me back to berthing."

"Why did you take her there," Elara demanded of the man who raised her. "Why not take to doctors who could have helped her?"

"They would not have helped," the Grand Moff answered, still unable to face any of us. "I was in there when they received their orders. If she came in carried by someone it meant she was weak and was to be 'put down.' If she came in on her own then it meant she had some spirit left for the Sith to break and he wanted her patched up and returned to him. I could not let that happen. So before they were finished with me, I ran out and found her outside the door, unconscious."

"What do you mean, before they were finished with you?"

"It was my security team that took your mother," he explained. "The order had come through right after I had left to go to the mess hall. When I had heard that they had taken someone to a Sith I was furious. I had left very specific instructions that those orders were not to be followed. We were to conduct ourselves with honor, and men of honor do not abduct innocents and leave them to be raped. When I heard who they took, I completely lost control. I found the Sergeant who led the team and started attacking him, in front of our entire division. During the assault I started yelling what a disgrace he was, how it was our job as security to protect, how no true Imperial soldier would ever turn a blind eye just because a Sith commanded it. Others were moving in to pull me off of him, but before they got to me I was lifted off the ground and felt something choking me.

The Grand Moff took a deep breath before turning to face us. "The Sith Lord had entered sometime during my attack and used the force on me. He brought me closer as he pulled out his lightsaber. He gave me this," he said, indicating to the scar on his face, "as an aid. To 'help me turn a blind eye' he said whenever my betters demanded it. Then he threw me across the room before leaving. I was helped to medical where they were able to save my eye, but it would need immediate surgery if I were to ever have it fully functional again. That is when I heard the orders come in concerning your mother. I left as they were getting the surgical room prepped; her life was more important."

"Did they ever say anything to you about your eye," Jorgan asked.

"The Dark Lord a few days later," he answered. "I responded that I wanted to ensure I never forgot the lesson I had learned. Not a lie, just not the lesson he assumed I meant."

"And what lesson was that?"

"That despite all propaganda to the contrary, the Sith were the true blight to the galaxy that needed to be destroyed, not the Republic. From that day on I worked in secret to find a way to erode Sith power within the Empire."

Once her husband had finished speaking, Elara's mother continued with her story, "A few weeks later, after the Sith had left I discovered I was pregnant. When Andrew heard I was trying to leave he sought me out, asked me what my plans were. I told him the truth, carry the baby to term, put the child up for adoption, and then…" her voice trailed off, as she looked down. "He convinced me to marry him, saying if I were to simply put the baby up for adoption, there was no guarantee that someday the Sith who had raped me would not find and take the child for his own purposes. However, if we were married, not only would it be easy to convince people that the child was his, the child would also have the protection of the Dorne name. As little as I cared about my own life at that point, the safety of the baby meant everything to me. So a few weeks later at a port call at Nar Shaddaa, we eloped and I was discharged from the Imperial Navy.

"As time went on, I thought less and less about taking my own life, but it was not until the day you and your brother was born that I realized I could never do it. The look on your father's face as he held you for the first time, how Aleksei refused to be apart from him, the way you looked up at me the first time they put you in my arms… After that moment I swore I would do whatever I could to protect you. It is why I did not want you to join the Imperial military, why I just wanted you to find a husband who would make you happy and would be low profile enough to not draw the attention of any Sith." Tears silently fell down her face as she sent a pleading look to her daughter. Elara couldn't meet anyone's eyes as she tried to compose herself. "Please say something," her mother begged.

"I… I am unsure what to say. What can be said when one finds out their entire life has been a lie and their father is a Sith who raped their mother," Elara answered distantly.

"**I** am your father," Dorne insisted urgently. "Since the day you and Aleksei were born you have been my children. I raised you, I took care of you, I love you both more than life. I have always been proud to call you both my children."

Another tense minute passed and I could tell Elara was barely holding it together. "Sergeant," I said quietly, "return to the ship and make sure your patient is settling in."

"Yes sir," she answered distractedly before heading off. I signaled to Yuun to follow.

Once Elara was out of ear shot, I asked, "You knew she was force sensitive, didn't you?"

Dorne nodded and explained, "She was always going around with her toy med kit 'healing' her dolls and telling everyone one day she was going to grow up and serve the Empire by being the 'best doctor ever.' Never thought much of it until one day my brother in law came to me with video footage of Elara helping a slave child who had just been beaten by an overseer. The film started with the boy on the ground, barely moving, bleeding profusely from the wounds all over his body. Then Elara entered, kneeled over him trying to help. A few minutes later the boy sits up like he had never been hurt and it was clear from the film that the wounds had been healed. She was five years old.

"I was assured that was the only copy of the incident. After that day we took steps to protect her from the Sith discovering her, even going so far as to have a shuttle ready to take her to the Jedi Enclave on Tython if it came to that. Fortunately, she never did anything like that again, and without anyone there to train her, the abilities never improved and she never caught anyone's attention. In her specialization school she was viewed as a gifted healer, but her instructor was far too arrogant and proud to look into why. Her knowledge and dedication has made her into an outstanding medic, but I have no doubt some latent force ability is playing a part as well."

"I take it her brother never showed signs," Jorgan asked.

"Thank the fates, no," he answered.

"Why didn't you let her take the position on Csilla," I asked, drawing a shocked look from both husband and wife. "Elara told us you forbade her from taking it, but if you were really trying to protect her, wouldn't that be the safest place for her? No one, Sith or otherwise, is allowed into Ascendency space without permission."

"True enough," the Grand Moff agreed, "however, shortly before she received the offer, I was at meeting where it was revealed that the Dark Council had received undeniable proof that not only were the Chiss force sensitive, but on average their strength in the force was greater than even the pure blooded Sith Lords. They ordered anyone who was going to be in contact with the Chiss people to be interviewed by the Dark Lords so they could gather information on how this was possible."

"Where they would discover that she was force sensitive," I said.

"Precisely," he agreed. "I thought that by letting her enlist she would be kept safe. I even arranged for her to work under my friend Col. Pressley. I thought he would look out for her, keep her safe from the Sith. When I heard he was going to personally follow Baras' orders and take her… Suffice it to say he's lucky he died so quickly. It would not have been so if I had gotten a hold of him."

"You couldn't have predicted what happened on Kessik IV," I said as Jorgan hit my shoulder to get my attention. He pointed behind me and I turned to see Sgt. Jaxo and a small team arrive.

"We need to stop meeting like this," she said to me with a small smile. "Gen. Garza sent us as back up and to take the ranking Imperial official into custody. I gather that's you?"

He looked over at Jaxo and I could see him shift back into his role as a Grand Moff. He stood straighter, linked his hands behind his back, and said authoritatively, "I will surrender myself under one condition: my wife and all the people here go free. They either had nothing to do with this or are too low level to give you anything."

"I can live with that," Jaxo answered, "SIS is mostly just interested in you. I swear it's like they're trying to get the entire Dorne clan into the Republic," she muttered.

"In that case, you will get another," Elara's mother said. "I surrender myself into Republic custody. I may not be a high ranking military official, but I do have my share of secrets I can give."

"Eleanor, please," the Grand Moff pleaded.

"Hush, Andrew," she said soothingly, placing a hand on his shoulder. "There is nothing waiting for me in Drumond Kaas, even if they do not label me a traitor. I will not leave your side, and perhaps this way I will be able to have some contact with our children."

"I'm sure we can work something out," Jaxo said as she signaled to one of her men. "Please escort the Grand Moff and his wife to the shuttle."

"Yes sergeant," the soldier who came over said. "What about all the others who want to surrender? Seems most of them don't think they have much waiting from them in the Empire."

"The more the merrier," Jaxo replied. "We'll find room for all of them, but the Grand Moff and his wife are the priority."

"Roger that," he said with a nod before turning to his newest charges. "Sir? Ma'am? If you could follow me?"

Before they left, the Grand Moff turned to me one last time said with the same tone in his voice, "I may be heading into Republic custody, but if I hear you hurt my little girl, I will bring a reckoning on you like cannot even imagine."

"I promise, I will do everything in my power to look out for Elara."

"You had better," he said turning away.

"Hey, big guy, you gotta minute," Jaxo asked me as we watched the Grand Moff and his wife were led away.

"What's up," I asked not really paying attention.

"It's about Dorne," Jaxo stated. Once she saw she had my full attention she continued, "As soon as we were within range we hacked into the station's systems to see what the situation was. We came in the middle of Mrs. Dorne's story. Now we all know the shit Kalor is trying to pull, and if he were to get a hold of the info, well, it wouldn't help her case."

"Are you threatening a member of my squad, Sergeant," I demanded, looking down at her.

"Relax, he'll never hear it from me. Personally, I'm not a fan of the goody-two-shoes, but she's good at her job and has been able to keep your cute ass alive. That said, she's made a few enemies."

"Anyone specific we should be watching," Jorgan asked.

Jaxo took a quick look around the room before her gaze settled on a female Cathar that had bent over to help one of the injured Imperials. "I don't know the story, I just know she's got a chip on her shoulder when it comes to your medic. Didn't help when she found out not only did Dorne get the promotion she was after, but also got into Havoc. I'm guessing there's more to it, I just don't wanna know. She was standing next to me when audio was patched in, and judging by the look on her face if we hadn't been en-route here I guarantee she would have been getting a hold of Kalor."

"Thanks for the heads up," I said wearily.

"I'll do what I can to keep her busy so you can get with Garza to figure out a way to maneuver around whatever Kalor's gonna try and pull."

"I owe you one," I said before turning to my XO. "Find Vik and let him know we're heading out. Once on board, get a message to Garza informing her we're en-route and there's a matter non mission related that I urgently need to discuss in person with her."

"I got boss. You just make sure Dorne's doing alright," he said before turning to where Vik was rifling through crates. "VIK! Stop looking for shit to steal and let's get moving!"

I didn't catch Vik's response, I was too distracted. 'What the hell am I gonna do?' I thought.

* * *

A/N 2: This chapter pretty much wrote itself. To be honest, I have no idea where that plot twist with Elara came from, and had no idea it would show up until I had written it. Guess that's what happens when your writer's block magically goes away after messing with you for months. I have a pretty good idea where I want to go with this over the next few chapters, hopefully I can get them out in a decent amount of time. I'll try to lighten it up a bit in the coming chapters. Please review and tell me what you think!


	14. Ch 13: A Private Moment

_Javen_

I entered the ship and started looking for Elara. Seeing she wasn't in the med bay with the patient, I headed over to crew's berthing. I quietly entered and saw Elara sitting on her rack, head in her hands, sobbing. I tried to slip out before she noticed me, but she looked up before I could.

"I'm sorry," I said quickly. "I didn't mean to intrude, I just wanted to make sure you were all right." I winced at my words, knowing how pathetic they must have sounded.

Elara gave a bitter laugh and said, "I am not sure if I will ever be 'all right' again."

"Did you want me to leave?"

"I would prefer it if you stayed," she answered quietly. "The silence does nothing to stop the horrid thoughts coursing through me."

I sat down on the bed next to her and tentatively put my arm around her. In response, she wrapped her arms around my waist and buried her head in my shoulder. When tears started leaking out again, she tried to pull away saying, "I apologize, Captain. I always seem to be crying around you."

I pulled her back to my shoulder and replied, "After everything that's happened today you deserve to shed a few tears. Just let it all out, I'm not going anywhere." As soon as I'd finished speaking, the few tears turned into body wracking sobs as she held on to me and wept. I spoke to her softly in my native language, knowing that she just needed the comfort of knowing someone was there. It seemed to help, and eventually she started to calm down.

I assumed she was too distracted letting out her emotions to really hear me, and was surprised when she said, "Your people have a beautiful language. It is a shame you have to speak basic to be understood."

"Well, if you're ever interested I'd be happy to teach you Cheunh."

"I would like that," she answered, still composing herself.

"Just to warn you, if you didn't grow up speaking it, it can be difficult to learn."

Elara sat up enough to be able to make eye contact with me. With a raised eyebrow and an over exaggerated Imperial accent, she replied, "This may come as a shock to you, Captain, but I can be rather persistent when the occasion calls for it."

I laughed, while thinking to myself what a shame it was to have been promoted to Captain. Whenever she called me 'Lieutenant' in that accent it never failed to cause some sort of reaction in me. On second thought, considering how close she was, it's probably a good thing she's not calling me that.

We sat together like that on the short trip from the star base to Coruscant. We finally separated when 4X announced our impending arrival. "I need to process the transfer paperwork for the patient," Elara said standing. "I would hate to see her survive all that just to be turned away at the hospital."

"I'm sure they'll accept her," I said, grabbing Elara's hands before she could leave the room. "Are you going to be ok?"

"I will be fine, eventually," she assured me. "As long as I have my work to distract me, although as soon as Kalor hears about this he will undoubtedly double down on his efforts to remove me from active duty…"

"That's not gonna happen."

"You cannot stop him," she said sadly.

"Hey, I'm a pretty sure bet," I replied with a cocky smile. I could see her fighting a smile even as she glared up at me. "Besides, considering Garza fought to get you on Havoc since I stepped onto Taris, you can bet she'll fight Kalor tooth and nail if he pulls anything over this. And you know how scary she can be when she's in full on general/mama bear mode."

This time she did laugh before squeezing my hands and saying softly, "Thank you Javen, for everything."

"I'm here whenever you need me," I replied. I took a risk and released one of her hands and placed it gently on her cheek.

She leaned into my hand as she looked up at me, and I could see in her eyes she was debating something. Before I could ask, she leaned up and softly brushed her lips with mine. The kiss was chaste and over far too soon, but I could swear it caused my world to spin off its axis. She broke away, placing her forehead against mine and releasing a contented sigh. I lightly stroked her cheek with my hand that was still there while I savored the moment. It was interrupted by Jorgan's voice from outside the room.

"If you two have finished up in there, Garza sent a message that she needs to see us."

"I'll be right out," I said with an aggravated sigh.

Elara gave me a rueful smile before saying, "I have paperwork that I must get to."

"I'll let you know what Garza says," I said. She closed her eyes and nodded, but not before I saw the sadness from earlier return. I leaned down to kiss her to try and banish the shadow I saw in her eyes. "Don't worry, they're not gonna ground you, too many people are willing to stand up for you."

"Thank you," she said with a soft smile, squeezing the hand that she still held. "Now you should probably head out before the lieutenant starts getting restless."

There was a mischievous glint in her eye as she spoke and it seemed her accent was thicker than usual. I laughed as I realized she had me pegged. "You know exactly what that accent does to me, don't you?"

"I would wager the same affect you speaking in your native tongue has on me," she replied with a smirk.

"I'll be sure to keep that in mind," I said with a laugh, finally releasing her. I headed out, meeting up with an impatient Jorgan.

"'Bout time you showed up," he grumbled. "You have no idea the BS I had to feed Garza about why we're running late."

"I'll make it up to you," I promised. "Soon as we wrap up this business with the Gauntlet we'll figure out what's going on with your old squad."

"I'm gonna hold you to that," he grumbled as we made our way off the ship and towards the Senate building.


	15. Ch 14: Low Friends in High Places

Gen. Garza had just wrapped up last meeting with the fleet commanders regarding our upcoming attack on the Gauntlet. As the officers filed out she signaled for Jorgan and me to hold back. Once the room was empty of everyone else, Garza looked at us both and said, "I received Lt. Jorgan's message. I take it this has to do with Sgt. Dorne's recent revelations regarding her biological father?"

"How did you know about that," I asked, looking over at Jorgan.

"Relax, Captain," she replied, waving her hand. She moved to take a seat at her desk and signaled for us to sit down across from her. "The lieutenant's message was as vague as I'd expect considering what was revealed."

"Then if I may ask, General, how did you know?"

"Shortly after receiving your message, I was sent an anonymous message in with the details of the conversation. Personally I could care less," Garza said dismissively. "If whomever contributed to the other half of her DNA really made any kind of difference she'd have become a Sith, not an Imperial defector turned Republic Special Forces medic. The fact is she received more influence from Grand Moff Dorne's teachings on honor than from someone she never met. I am convinced she's no threat."

I was just starting to breathe a sigh of relief when the General continued. "However, that's not how Kalor will see it," she said, frustration in her voice.

"Why should he find out," Jorgan asked. "We're under no obligation to tell him."

"Normally I'd agree with you," Garza replied, rubbing her temples, "except whoever sent the message to me also sent it to him as well. Both of our names are listed in the message byline. He's been trying to get in contact with me ever since, but I've been having my assistant hold him off."

"How long can you distract him," I asked.

"Not long enough to complete your mission, I'm afraid," she sighed. "His last communication insinuated he'd be going over my head soon."

"General, I need Sgt. Dorne on this mission," I pleaded.

"I know that, Captain." She picked up a pad off her desk and handed it to me. "I've been in contact with Grand Master Shan. Although she has voiced a similar sentiment regarding the sergeant's loyalty, she has agreed to meet with her to give an examination to prove she's not a Sith."

"Is this really necessary, General?"

"I wouldn't waste your time if it wasn't," she answered. "The truth is we can all be accused of a bias, it's hard to make that charge against a Jedi."

"Will we be able to complete this before we need to leave for the Gauntlet?"

"That depends entirely on how the situation develops," Garza answered. "As of right now, I can justify a delay in launching this mission. However, should anything change and the Gauntlet shows signs of making an offensive move against the Republic, I'll have no choice but to get this operation underway." She folded her hands and placed them on her desk as she leaned forward and said, "If I were you, Captain, I'd look for ways to ensure that the Gauntlet does not become a threat."

"Aye, aye, General," I said standing to attention and saluting. After Jorgan had done the same we left the General's office.

"How the hell are we supposed to influence an Imperial super weapon," Jorgan angrily asked.

"We're not," I answered, heading out of the senate tower, "but I know someone who can."

"Yeah, and who's that?"

I smiled and said, "A low friend in a high place."

* * *

We found Jonas in the back of the cantina, just like he promised. The SIS agent was sitting by himself in a large booth and as soon as he saw us he gave a small wave.

"My two favorite soldiers," he said, raising his drink in a toast to us as we sat. "How's that over enthusiastic droid working out for y'all?"

"Better than I expected," I replied, "but that's not why we're here."

"Figured," he replied, taking a drink. "So to what do I owe the pleasure?"

"The Imperial Minister of Intelligence," I answered. "What do you know about him?"

"He's your medic's uncle," Jonas said. "She didn't volunteer that info during her defection debriefs, but it was easy to figure out. The Intelligence community is a smaller world than you'd think."

"That didn't bother any of you," Jorgan asked.

"Everyone has their secrets, friend," the SIS agent explained. "Honestly, he seems more like an asset to us than to the Empire."

"What makes you say that?"

"He arranged for not only her brother's defection, who has yielded a surprising amount of intel, but also got you information you needed to stop the Gauntlet, which has the potential to wipe us out whenever this war hits," he answered taking a drink. "So the way we see it, his soft spot for his niece is our gain. No reason to mess with that. Now it's my turn. Why are you asking about him?"

"Don't play dumb," Jorgan snapped. "If you know all this, you know about what happened on the Gauntlet."

"If you're referring to Sgt. Dorne's… heritage… yes, we're aware. From what I understand, though, General Garza and Master Shan are going to handle that."

"True, but you also know we need to move soon to stop the Gauntlet. In order to postpone the op so I can get my medic cleared to join us I need to make sure Republic command doesn't see any aggressive moves concerning the weapon."

"And you think the Minister is in a position to help you and want to get in contact with him," Jonas surmised. I simply nodded in agreement. Jonas took another long drink before asking, "Why come to me? Why not just ask Sgt. Dorne?"

"She's already being watched by Kalor, I can't risk him having anything as ammunition."

"What's in it for me if I help?"

"We owe you a favor," I answered. "It's all I got, but you know I'm good for it."

He looked me over for a long minute before answering, "You were straight with me concerning the whole mess with the defection and 4X… Alright, I'll see what I can do, but no promises."

"Thank you," I said as he got up and headed out the cantina.

Two hours later, Jonas had taken us to an undisclosed location deep in Justicar territory.

"Isn't it a little risky for us to be out here," Jorgan asked, rifle out.

"Everyone knows the Justicars are getting the hook up from the Empire," Jonas explained, taping out commands on a holo terminal. "It won't look nearly as suspicious sending out a signal to an Imperial contact from here than if we were to do it anywhere else. Now quit talking, looks like I might have gotten a connection."

As soon as he finished talking the Minister of Intelligence appeared on the terminal. "Captain, this is a surprise. Should I infer that there were some difficulties procuring the information you needed?"

"No, we got the information from your brother in law just fine," I answered, "it's the family secret Elara's mother told that is causing problems."

"Eleanor… what did she say," he demanded, his impartial mask slipping.

"The truth regarding Elara and Aleksei's paternity." I could see the anger building, and explained, "She didn't volunteer it, she forced into a position to confess after Dr. Henderson…"

"I told Andrew not to trust him," he interrupted angrily.

"It gets worse," I said, getting his attention. "The spec ops team that was deployed to assist in arresting the Grand Moff overheard the conversation. A member of the team is out to get Elara and has made sure Kalor heard about what was said."

"Explains the reports of communication flurries out of Republic command I received. I take it your plan is to have the Grand Master Jedi confirm Elara is no Sith?"

"That's right, but I need your help. I need to make sure that the Gauntlet does not pose a threat until after she's been cleared. If it does, then I'll be forced to leave Elara behind giving Kalor all the time he needs to complete his witch hunt. We both know what that would do to Elara."

He seemed to think something over before heaving a tired sigh. "I have a few strings I can pull to ensure that it will remain in a nonthreatening status until she can be cleared."

"Won't that put you at risk," Jorgan asked. "You couldn't openly help us before."

"Things have changed," he explained. "The Sith have decided that agents would be better off serving individual dark lords and it is only a matter of time before they come after me."

"Will you be alright," I asked. "Elara wouldn't forgive herself if she thought she caused you problems."

"Then she will never know I helped," he responded with a raised brow. "Do not concern yourselves with my welfare. Like all good soldiers, I always have a back up plan. Now if you will excuse me, I have some calls to make."

"Thank you, Minister," I said gratefully.

"You just look after my niece," he replied.

"You have my word," I answered just before the terminal went dark.


End file.
